Applying the isothermal DNA amplification method in identifying the Marek’s disease virus in poultry

Abstract

Marek's disease is a viral disease, a type of poultry cancer. It is caused by MDV serotype 1 (Marek's disease virus, MDV) viruses, also referred to as Gallid herpesvirus 2 belonging to the family Herpesviridae. The complete, fully infectious virus particles are present in the feathers and the nodules months can survive in the environment for many months. The use of isothermal amplification methods of genetic material (Loop - Mediated Isothermal Amplification, LAMP) virus MDV enables rapid and precise identification of the virus in difficult diagnostic material, including dust. By optimizing the reaction conditions and using at least two pairs of primers which bind to specific sites in the genome of the virus, this technique has high sensitivity and specificity. The technique makes it possible to detect of single copies of the meq oncogene – a unique region of DNA of the first type of virus MDV.