Establishment and Application Prospect of Reverse Transcriptase Recombinase-Aided Amplification Assay for Subgroup C Avian Metapneumovirus

Abstract

Among broilers, the main pathogen that leads to swollen head syndrome (SHS) is the subgroup C avian metapneumovirus (aMPV-C). The aMPV-C infection can lead to an upsurge in the rate of soft-shell eggs, resulting in reduced egg production and seriously affecting the economy of the livestock industry. Therefore, a rapid method for aMPV-C detection needs to be invented. According to the N gene of aMPV-C, we designed the specific probe and primer and created a reverse transcription recombinase-aided amplification assay (RT-RAA) for the detection of aMPV-C. aMPV-C could be detected quickly and specifically by this method at 41 °C for 30 min. The sensitivity assay inferred that the minimum detection threshold of RT-RAA was 3.38 × 101 copies/μL. A specificity assay showed that the RT-RAA method did not cross-react with other subgroups (aMPV-A, aMPV-B, aMPV-D) or other viruses (H9N2, NDV, IBV, IBDV). Forty samples of known clinical background were tested by RT-RAA and RT-qPCR. The two approaches had a 100% correlation rate. In conclusion, this research successfully created an RT-RAA assay for aMPV-C.