SENSITIVE IDENTIFICATION OF BLUETONGUE VIRUS SEROGROUP BY A COLORIMETRIC DUAL OLIGONUCLEOTIDE SORBENT ASSAY OF AMPLIFIED VIRAL NUCLEIC-ACID

A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure coupled to an enzyme-linked oligonucleotide sorbent assay (ELOSA; a PCR-ELOSA) identified all 24 serotypic variants of bluetongue virus (BTV) without identifying any of six viruses belonging to the related epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus serogroup. The PCR-ELOSA detected 0.01 50% cell culture infectious doses of each serotype of BTV. The sensitivity and serogroup-wide specificity of the PCR-ELOSA may enable it to replace the more expensive, time-consuming, and biohazardous methods used in the identification of BTV.