A TaqMan RT-PCR Method for Detecting Porcine Circovirus 3

  Objective  A TaqMan RT-PCR method was established for detecting porcine circovirus 3 （PCV3） infection in swine.

  Method  Specific primers and probe were designed by Oligo 7 software targeting the Rep gene after genetic comparison.

  Result  The established TaqMan RT-PCR method could detect 42.2 copies·uL⁻¹ with no positive signal on common porcine infectious diseases indicating high specificity of the methodology. On the constructed positive plasmids, the coefficients of variation for the intra- and inter-assays were less than 1.48% showing a high detection reproducibility. From the 193 clinical specimens collected in Fujian from 2014 to 2018, the newly developed method showed a high prevalence of PCV3 at 65.80% and high co-infection with PCV2 at 52.85%.

  Conclusion  The established TaqMan RT-PCR method was made available for studying the function of Rep in PCV3.