RAPID DIFFERENTIATION OF VACCINE AND FIELD STRAINS OF AVIAN METAPNEUMOVIRUS OF SUBTYPE B BY RESTRICTION ENZYME DIGESTION OF PCR PRODUCTS

none7Live vaccines predominantly control avian metapneumovirus (AMPV) infection in the poultry industry but these can persist after application and revert to virulence. Sequencing of the G gene of the dominant subtype B VCO3 vaccinal strain identified a unique nucleotide substitution (A→G, nucleotide 91) which fortuitously introduced an MseI restriction endonuclease site within the amplicon obtained from a popular AMPV diagnostic RT- nested PCR. An Msel digestion protocol was developed then validated using Italian B subtype viruses of known field virus or vaccine origin.mixedListorti V.; Lupini C.; Cecchinato M.; Pesente P.; Rossi G.; Naylor C. J.; Catelli E.Listorti V.; Lupini C.; Cecchinato M.; Pesente P.; Rossi G.; Naylor C. J.; Catelli E