The first outbreak of aujeszky's disease (AD) was identified from piggery located at the southern part of Korea in July, 1987. This piggery suffered from a significant economic loss caused by unexpected piglet mortality and reproductive failure. Etiologic viral agents were isolated from tonsil and spleen of the infected piglets, and the isolates produced a typical cytopathic effect of herpesvirus with giant cell formation when inoculated in many different cells. Subsequently the field isolates were characterized as suid herpesvirus I by cross-neutralization test and indirect fluorescence assay utilizing specific monoclonal antibody, and proved to be a pathogenic strain of AD virus(ADV).

The present study was done to demonstrate ADV antigens in frozen and paraffin sections from ADV-infected pigs and cell cultures by using of the IGS method. Tissue specimens from 3 young pigs infected with ADV-phylaxia strain and of 2 healthy pigs were used. Fibroblastic cells originated from pig brain and BHK cells were grown and confluent monolayers were infected with the virus. Two monoclonal antibodies and a specific hyperimmune serum to ADV were used as the source of primary antibodies for both the IGS and immunoperoxidase methods. Application of the IGS method yielded a black fine granular reaction in positive areas, and the results were superior to those obtained using the immuno-peroxidase technique for all cases tested. The IGS method might be useful in the detection of various viral antigens in tissue sections