A simple and rapid protein array based method for the simultaneous detection of biowarfare agents

A protein chip has been developed that allows the simultaneous detection of a multitude of different biowarfare agents. The chip was developed for the ArrayTube platform providing a cheap and easy to handle technology solution that combines a microtube-integrated protein chip with the classical procedure of a sandwich-enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and signal amplification by streptavidin-poly-horseradish peroxidase. Specific immunoassays for Staphylococcus enterotoxin B, ricin, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus, St. Louis encephalitis virus, West Nile virus, Yellow fever virus, Orthopox virus species, Francisella tularensis, Yersinia pestis, Brucella melitensis, Burkholderia mallei and Escherichia coli EHEC O157:H7 were developed and optimized. All assays could be completed within 1 to 1 1/2 h and detection levels were demonstrated to be as low as in well established ELISAs. Most interesting, as a result of careful antibody screening and testing, it is currently possible to analyse at least five of the "dirty dozen" agents on one single protein chip in parallel.