Porcine Parvovirus (PPV) is one of the most important causes of swine reproductive failure worldwide. The virus is ubiquitous in the environment and particularly resistant due to its non-enveloped structure. The infected sow does not show symptoms until the gestation and sometimes farrowing.
A real-time polymerase chain reaction (real-time PCR, or qPCR) is a laboratory technique of molecular biology based on the polymerase chain reaction(PCR). It monitors the amplification of a targeted DNA molecule during the PCR(i.e.,in real time), not at its end, as in conventional PCR.
Two common methods for the detection of PCR products in real-time PCR are(1)non-specific fluorescent dyes that intercalate with any double-stranded DNA and (2)sequence-specific DNA probes consisting of oligonucleotides that are labelled with a fluorescent reporter, which permits detection only after hybridization of the probe with its complementary sequence.