Recombinant non-structural polyprotein 3AB-based serodiagnostic strategy for FMD surveillance in bovines irrespective of vaccination

In India, the proportion of bovines vaccinated against foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is increasing since the implementation of the Government supported ‘FMD Control Programme’, and non-structural protein (NSP)-based serological assays for discriminating between antibodies induced by infection or vaccination (DIVA) could be useful. The FMD virus NSP 3AB was expressed in a prokaryotic system and an indirect ELISA (r3AB3 I-ELISA) was developed and validated as a screening assay for detecting virus in vaccinated bovines. The diagnostic sensitivity of the assay was estimated to be 96%, while the diagnostic specificity varied between the naïve and vaccinates as 99.1% and 96.4%, respectively. This assay could detect antibodies to 3AB (3AB-Ab) from 10 to as late as 900 days post-infection in cattle infected experimentally. The “in-house” assay demonstrated higher sensitivity than a commercial 3ABC ELISA kit particularly with samples obtained from the late stages of infection. Transient post-vaccinal 3AB-Ab response could be detected in one of the three commercial vaccines during the six-month vaccination regimen, which emphasizes the fact that for a DIVA-compatible diagnostic strategy to be a realistic option, all vaccines need to be quality checked for the NSP content.

► Recombinant nonstructural protein 3AB-based indirect ELISA for FMD serosurveillance. ► Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of 96% and 96.4–99.1%, respectively. ► Detects antibodies from 10 to 900 days postinfection in experimental cattle. ► Higher diagnostic sensitivity than a commercial 3ABC ELISA kit in late phases of infection. ► Occasional postvaccinal 3AB-antibody response warrants more pure vaccines.