Detection of Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus in Swine Meat Juice

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is a highly contagious agent that impacts livestock industries worldwide, leading to significant financial loss. Its impact can be avoided or minimized if the virus is detected early. FMDV detection relies on vesicular fluid, epithelial tags, swabs, serum, and other sample types from live animals. These samples might not always be available, necessitating the use of alternative sample types. Meat juice (MJ), collected after freeze-thaw cycles of skeletal muscle, is a potential sample type for FMDV detection, especially when meat is illegally imported. We have performed experiments to evaluate the suitability of MJ for FMDV detection. MJ was collected from pigs that were experimentally infected with FMDV. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) was extracted from MJ, sera, oral swabs, and lymph nodes from the same animals and tested for FMDV by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR). MJ was also tested for FMDV antigen by Lateral Flow Immunoassay (LFI). FMDV RNA was detected in MJ by rRT-PCR starting at one day post infection (DPI) and as late as 21 DPI. In contrast, FMDV RNA was detected in sera at 1-7 DPI. Antigen was also detected in MJ at 1-9 DPI by LFI. Live virus was not isolated directly from MJ, but was recovered from the viral genome by transfection into susceptible cells. The data show that MJ is a good sample type for FMDV detection.