Evaluation of different molecular methods for detection of Senecavirus A and the result of the antigen surveillance in Korea during 2018

Senecavirus A (SVA), previously known as Seneca Valley virus, can cause vesicular disease and neonatal losses in pigs that is clinically indistinguishable from foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV). After the first case report in Canada in 2007, it had been restrictively identified in North America including United States. But, since 2015, SVA emerged outside North America in Brazil, and also in several the Asian countries including China, Thailand, and Vietnam. Considering the SVA occurrence in neighboring countries, there has been a high risk that Korea can be introduced at any time. In particular, it is very important in terms of differential diagnosis in the suspected case of vesicular diseases in countries where FMD is occurring. So far, several different molecular detection methods for SVV have been published but not validated as the reference method, yet. In this study, seven different molecular methods for detecting SVA were evaluated. Among them, the method by Flowler et al, (2017) targeted to 3D gene region with the highest sensitivity and no cross reaction with other vesicular disease agents including FMDV, VSV and SVD, was selected and applied further to antigen surveillance of SVA. A total of 245 samples of 157 pigs from 61 farms submitted for animal disease diagnose nationwide during 2018 were tested all negative. In 2018, no sign of SVA occurrence have been confirmed in Korea, but the results of the surveillance for SVA needs to be continued and accumulated at a high risk of SVA in neighboring countries.