Detection of the canine herpes virus glycoprotein B gene via Polymerase Chain Reaction

The Canine Herpesvirus type 1 (CaHV-1) causes fatal hemorrhagic disease in puppies less than four weeks, while in four weeks older puppies it produces some minor clinical signs such as rhinitis, pharyngitis, or conjunctivitis. In adults, is capable to producing eye disease and reproductive disorders, and it is a participant pathogen called "kennel cough". The gene coding for gB, a glycoprotein present in the viral envelope, is described in a great variety of herpes virus, because it is essential to the process of entry of virus into the cell and thus define the route of neuroinvasion. This work was conducted in the laboratory of Virology and Microbiology, Department of Animal Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, University of Chile and its purpose was to contribute to the molecular characterization of isolated viral RP5, and confirm the presence of a herpes native virus, by detecting the glycoprotein B gene by Polymerase Chain Reaction. The results allow demonstrating a high sensitivity of the technique implemented and a high specificity than other PCR protocol implemented in other title memory. Thus, a high nucleotide identity percentage (NIP>98) compared to the sequence published in GenBank allows the qualification of this protocol as a serious contender to become a diagnostic method for CaHV-1 in Chile and on the other hand it concludes that the isolated native RP5 corresponds to CaHV-1.