Voltage‐programmed capillary gel electrophoresis enables rapid detection of bovine coronavirus DNA

Abstract

Bovine coronavirus (BCoV) is a major pathogen that causes enteric and respiratory disease in cattle and considerable economic losses in the livestock industry. In this study, we present a voltage‐programmed capillary gel electrophoretic separation with laser‐induced fluorescence for the rapid detection of BCoV DNA. Electrophoretic separation was dynamically controlled through a programmed electric field (20 kV for 0–14 min, 10 kV for 14–16.2 min, 6 kV for 16.2–25 min, and 20 kV thereafter), enabling analysis of a 941‐bp polymerase chain reaction amplicon within 18 min with baseline separation (resolution, R _s  = 1.91). This analysis time is approximately 20‐fold shorter than that required for conventional slab gel electrophoresis. Notably, this voltage‐programming (VP) strategy requires no modification of existing instrumentation or separation media, providing a practical and scalable approach for enhancing analytical throughput. This VP‐based separation method offers a rapid, efficient platform for viral diagnostics and high‐throughput nucleic acid analysis, with potential applications in veterinary and biomedical research.