Polymerase chain reaction for the detection and differentiation of Marek's disease virus strains MDV-1 and HVT

Marek’s disease (MD) is a lymphoproliferative disease of chickens characterized by lymphocytic infiltration of various organs. The present study was an attempt to use polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to optimize a rapid and reliable assay for detection of MDV genome. Detection of serotype 1 of MDV (MDV-1) was confirmed by presence of a 200 bp DNA fragment as a PCR product. Differentiation of MDV-1 and herpesvirus of turkeys (HVT) was also conducted using specific primers from the glycoprotein A (gA) gene and a 388 bp DNA fragment was amplified from HVT genome. The specificity of the test was confirmed by sequencing of PCR products. Results indicate that MDV-1 can be diagnosed in clinical samples and inoculated cell cultures which is used for virus isolation. In addition, differentiation between MDV-1 and HVT viruses was confirmed based on the size of PCR products. The test proved to be rapid and reliable and can be performed as a robust diagnostic test in veterinary diagnostic laboratories.