Development of a polyclonal-antibody-based immunohistochemical method for the detection of type 2 porcine circovirus in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue.

An immunohistochemical method for the detection of type 2 porcine circovirus (PCV2) in paraffin-embedded tissue was developed. Rabbits were inoculated with purified PCV2 to obtain a polyclonal antiserum. Antiserum was applied to sections of porcine tissue that contained lesions consistent with postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome and in which PCV2 genome had been demonstrated by in situ hybridization. In all cases (18/18), the density and distribution of positive cells detected by in situ hybridization or immunohistochemistry were identical. The immunohistochemical method is more rapid and less expensive than in situ hybridization and is thus more suitable for routine diagnostic use.