Effect of sample collection material on the detection of PRRSV in oral fluid

The objective of the present study was to determine if the sampling material used to obtain pen-based swine oral fluid specimens affected the results of PRRSV antibody ELISA or RT-PCR testing.

Oral fluid samples were collected from 104 pens on 2 commercial swine farms. Three oral fluid samples were collected from each pen using rope made of three different materials: cotton (C), hemp (H) and nylon (N). To account for the possible effect of collection order on assay results, samples were collected from pens in one of three sampling sequences: C-N-H, N-H-C, or H-C- N. Thereafter, oral fluid samples were assayed for PRRSV antibody and PRRSV RT-PCR.

Analysis of the results found sampling material affected diagnostic results, but cotton rope provided the best overall diagnostic performance. Therefore, oral fluid samples should be collected using cotton-based materials.