These optimal conditions did not vary depending on whether the sample was a nasal, tear or blood sample. was maximal (100% and 100%, respectively) when conjunctival swabs were tested. This is significant because conjunctival swab specimens are easy to obtain in the early phase of CD infection. However, with blood lymphocytes and nasal samples, the IC assay was slightly less sensitive (89.7% and 85.7%, respectively) and specific (94.6% and 100%, respectively) than nested PCR. Since this novel IC assay does not require special instruments, it is a simple enough for dog owners to use. Since early detection of CD would allow appropriate treatment and quarantine to be Pcdhb5 instituted quickly, such a test would help reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with CD help to prevent its spread to other animals. of the and is related closely to the viruses responsible for measles, rinderpest, peste des petits ruminants, phocine distemper, dolphin distemper, porpoise distemper, and equine morbillivirus (Fenner, 1976, Haas and Barrett, 1996, Osterhaus et al., 1995). Canine distemper (CD) is a highly contagious disease that affects dogs of all ages. It is associated with high morbidity and mortality and occurs worldwide. Dogs that have been infected naturally with CD show commonly systemic signs of the disease such as vomiting, diarrhoea and/or respiratory signs; sometimes they also exhibit generalized or localized myoclonus and the characteristic clinical symptoms of CDV encephalomyelitis (Frisk et al., 1999, STF 118804 Moritz et al., 2000, Okita et al., 1997). In the recent outbreaks of CD in Korea, the affected dogs could be classified clinically into two groups, namely, young dogs with CNS signs associated with respiratory and/or gastrointestinal symptoms, and old STF 118804 dogs with CNS signs alone. Thus, the clinical signs of CD vary depending on the age and immune status of the host as well as the virulence of the virus strain and the environmental conditions (Greene and Appel, 1990). Acutely infected dogs shed the virus in all bodily secretions regardless of whether they are symptomatic or not. Although the virus cannot be isolated from the bodily secretions of dogs with subacute distemper encephalomyelitis and persistent viral infection of the CNS, they may still transmit the virus (Appel, 1987). To provide timely medical treatment that preserves the life of the infected dog (especially if neurological signs are present), it is important to have available an easy assay that can detect rapidly and accurately CDV. Such an assay would also help to exclude other diagnoses and prevent the further transmission of the disease. At present, CD can be diagnosed by virus isolation, immunofluorescence assays (IFA), RT-PCR, and real-time PCR (Frisk et al., 1999, Hoyland et al., 2003, Jozwik and Frymus, 2005, Shin STF 118804 et al., 2004), all of which are relatively time-consuming and laborious techniques. The ImmunoComb antibody test kit (Biogal Galed Labs, Israel) for CD is also used frequently in animal hospitals to decide when to vaccinate a pet, as it reveals the anti-CDV IgM and IgG antibody levels. However, to use this test to determine whether a dog is infected with CDV, the animal has to be tested twice over several days. This delay in diagnosis is a serious limitation of this test. A new immunochromatography (IC)-based assay was developed for the antemortem diagnosis of CD. The sensitivity and specificity of this assay were compared with a nested PCR assay by testing conjunctival swabs, nasal irrigation fluid, and blood lymphocyte samples from dogs suspected to have CD. 2.?Materials and methods 2.1. Field specimens and purified virus In total, 158 specimens (53 nasal irrigation fluids, 39 conjunctival swab and 66 blood lymphocyte samples) were obtained from 66 dogs suspected of infection with CD. These samples were provided by nine private animal hospitals in Seoul from May 2005 to April 2006. All three samples (nasal, conjunctival and blood) were obtained from each of 38 dogs at the time they presented at the animal hospital. Of the remaining dogs, 16 provided STF 118804 blood and either nasal irrigation fluids or conjunctival swab samples, and 12 provided only blood. The conjunctival swabs and nasal irrigation fluids were each mixed with 1?ml PBS (phosphate-buffered saline, pH 7.4) while blood lymphocytes were separated by using a LeucoSep? tube (Greiner, Cat. No. 163290, Austria). All of the samples were stored at ?20?C until use. The dogs suspected.