Detection of canine parvovirus and feline panleukopenia virus in fecal samples by strand exchange amplification

Canine parvovirus 2 (CPV-2) and feline panleukopenia virus (FPLV) often cause acute enteric disease in their hosts. A simple, rapid, and effective method for the on-site detection of these viruses would be useful. We used a denaturation bubble-mediated strand exchange amplification (SEA) method to successfully detect CPV-2 and FPLV in fecal samples. SEA could detect as little as 3.6 pg/mu L of CPV-2 and 6.6 pg/mu L of FPLV genomic DNA following a 40-min incubation at an isothermal temperature of 61 degrees C. Unlike PCR, SEA does not require complicated equipment, and positive samples produce a color change that can be visualized by the naked eye. Additionally, SEA is simpler than PCR because no extraction is needed, and heating of the fecal sample at 98 degrees C can be performed with a heating block or water bath. This rapid and effective nucleic acid detection platform could be used as a point-of-care test for the detection of CPV-2 and FPLV.