Use of epitope mapping to identify a polymerase chain reaction template for protein amplification of bovine herpesvirus-1 glycoprotein D

Bovine herpesvirus-1 (BHV-1), a member of the family Herpesviridae and subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae is an important cause of respiratory and genital diseases in cattle. Infection with BHV-1 occurs worldwide and causes serious economic losses due to mortality, abortions, decreased milk production and loss of weight. BHV-1 is frequently found in bovine semen and is transmitted through natural service and artificial insemination. The current techniques for detection of BHV-1 in semen in the diagnostic laboratories include virus isolation, and antigen detection by ELISA. These techniques lack sensitivity and are both time consuming and expensive. In order to improve the sensitivity of detection of BHV-1 in bovine semen, a protein amplification assay following PCR targeting the glycoprotein D (gD) gene of BHV-1 was developed. The main goal of this study was to map the epitopes on E. coli expressed Glutathione S transferase-gD (GST-gD) fusion protein using a panel of specific monoclonal antibodies. (Abstract shortened by UMI.).