Comparison of RT-PCR assay and virus isolation in cell cultures for the detection of bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) in field samples.

The virus isolation-immunoperoxidase test (IPX) on cell cultures and the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay were compared for the detection of bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) directly in serum samples. Material for this study consisted of 403 sera originating from cattle in 41 BVDV-infected Finnish dairy herds and one suckler cow herd. The presence of virus was demonstrated in 48 samples by both assays.