Abstract
Objective: To investigate monitoring an influenza A virus (IAV) infection in a finishing pig herd by testing pen-based oral fluids for antibodies against the virus using a commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kit. Materials and methods: Oral fluids were collected weekly from pigs 12 to 24 or 22 weeks of age in four pens (approximately 25 pigs per pen) in two consecutive batches. Serum samples were also collected from two randomly selected pigs in each pen at 12, 16, and 20 weeks of age in both batches and at 24 weeks in Batch 1 only. Oral-fluid and serum samples were tested for antibodies against IAV by a commercial competitive ELISA test kit. Oral fluids were also tested for IAV by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Results: One week after initial detection of IAV in oral-fluid samples by RT-PCR, antibodies against the virus were detected in oral fluids as well as in serum samples. Oral fluids continued to test positive for antibodies 4 to 7 weeks after initial detection of virus, but with a decreasing trend in the amounts of virus antibodies detected by ELISA. All samples in Batch 1 tested negative after 9 weeks. Implications: The longitudinal profile of antibodies against IAV detected in oral fluids promises to be a useful tool for monitoring IAV infection in a pig population. A commercial competitive ELISA test kit could easily be adapted for oral fluids by modifying dilution of the specimen.
Published Version
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