A rapid molecular strategy for early detection and characterization of Vietnamese foot-and-mouth disease virus serotypes O, A, and Asia 1

A one-step RT-PCR method using newly designed primers VN-VP1F/VN-VP1R targeting the full VP1 capsid protein-coding gene, combined with direct sequencing of its PCR product, has been developed successfully for universal detection and characterization of Vietnamese FMDV serotypes O, A, and Asia 1 directly from clinical samples. The one-step RT-PCR amplified 821-bp dsDNA products covering the entire VP1 gene of FMDV serotypes O, A, and Asia 1. The obtained dsDNA products were suitable for direct sequencing, cloning, and other molecular epidemiology studies of Vietnamese FMDV strains, which eliminated the need for cell culture and virus purification. This one-step RT-PCR system was applied to detect and characterize 55 field FMDV strains, including 34 serotype O, 17 serotype A, and 4 serotype Asia 1 isolates collected from endemic outbreaks in Vietnam from 2005 to 2010. Interestingly, the PCR products obtained from the present PCR method could be used as DNA templates for the second PCR typing method using serotypes O, A, and Asia 1-specific primers (Le et al., 2011). The use of the second PCR amplification increased markedly the sensitivity of the test for FMDV detection. The present RT-PCR method promises to be an effective tool for molecular epidemiological studies of FMD in Vietnam.