Vesiculoviruses (VSV) are zoonotic viruses that cause vesicular stomatitis disease in
cattle, horses and pigs, as well as sporadic human cases of acute febrile illness.
Therefore, diagnosis of VSV infections by reliable laboratory techniques is important
to allow a proper case management and implementation of strategies for the
containment of virus spread. We show here a sensitive and reproducible real-time
reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for detection and
quantification of VSV. The assay was evaluated with arthropods and serum samples
obtained from horses, cattle and patients with acute febrile disease. The real-time
RT-PCR amplified the Piry, Carajas, Alagoas and Indiana Vesiculovirus at a melting
temperature 81.02 ± 0.8ºC, and the sensitivity of assay was estimated in 10 RNA
copies/mL to the Piry Vesiculovirus. The viral genome has been detected in samples of
horses and cattle, but not detected in human sera or arthropods. Thus, this assay
allows a preliminary differential diagnosis of VSV infections.