Rapid detection of Aujeszky's disease (pseudorabies) virus infection of pigs by direct filter hybridisation of nasal and tonsillar specimens.

A direct filter hybridisation method has been developed to diagnose acute Aujeszky's disease in live pigs. The advantages of the method are easy, fast sample processing; no DNA-purification is needed, and the hybridisation itself is simplified. The direct filter hybridisation method has been tested on pseudorabies virus infected cultured cells, experimentally infected pigs and on specimens from an outbreak of Aujeszky's disease. Virus isolation and filter hybridisation gave comparable results, indicating that the direct filter hybridisation method is a good tool for rapid diagnosis. It is independent of cell culture facilities and the disease can be diagnosed in live animals within 15 hours.