Establishment and Application of Rapid Diagnosis for Reverse Transcription-Quantitative PCR of Newly Emerging Goose-Origin Nephrotic Astrovirus in China

In 2017, a new type of goose-origin astrovirus (GoAstV) that is completely different from previously identified avian astroviruses (which have only 30.0% to 50.5% homology with GoAstV) has been isolated from diseased geese in China. This disease can cause joint swelling in sick geese, and the anatomy shows a clear precipitation of urate in the kidney. The rate of death and culling can reach more than 30%, revealing the disease’s severe pathogenicity. To quickly and accurately diagnose the newly emerging disease, we established a highly specific reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) method of detecting GoAstV. Sensitivity testing showed that the minimum amount of test sample for this method is 52.5 copies/μl. Clinical application confirmed that this method can quickly and effectively detect GoAstV, providing a diagnostic platform for the prevention and control of goose disease. IMPORTANCE Goose-origin astrovirus (GoAstV), as a newly emerging virus in 2017, is different from previously known astroviruses in the genus Avastrovirus. So far, few studies have focused on the novel virus. Considering the infectious development of astrovirus (AstV), we established a reverse transcription-quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) assay with a strong specificity to quickly and accurately diagnose GoAstV. Confirmed by clinical application, this method can quickly and accurately detect prevalent GoAstV. The assay is thus convenient for clinical operation and is applicable to the monitoring of GoAstV disease.