HEMOGLOBIN AS A CAPTURE AGENT FOR LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE ANTIGENS IN THE ENZYME IMMUNOASSAY OF GRAM NEGATIVE BACTERIA

Abstract The affinity of hemoglobin for lipopolysaccharides (LPS) was exploited in its use as an inexpensive capture agent for LPS antigens in the enzyme immunoassay (EIA) of Gram negative bacteria. Two EIA formats were examined. In one, the macroporous solid phase Polymacron ^TM coated with hemoglobin was used to capture cholate-heat extracted LPS antigens from broth cultures of representative Gram negative bacteria, including different Salmonella serotypes, which were then detected immunoenzymatically using specific antibodies. This provided a rapid, simple and inexpensive dot blot assay for these bacteria which minimized the requirement for laboratory equipment. In another format, a microtiter plate EIA was developed in which cholate-heat extracted Salmonella . LPS antigens were captured in hemoglobin-coated wells. The microtiter plate format is automatable and will therefore be useful in laboratories with high sample throughputs. While most of the results reported here focus on the detection of Salmonella spp., we also demonstrate the applicability of this system in the assay of Escherichia coli O157 LPS antigens .     

FLUORESCENCE CONCENTRATION IMMUNOASSAY FOR RAPID DETECTION OF CAMPYLOBACTER SPP. IN CHICKEN RINSE WATER

A total of 215 freshly processed post-chill whole chicken carcasses were assessed for Campylobacter spp. contamination by a fluorescence concentration immunoassay (FCIA) procedure. Whole chicken carcasses were sampled with low volume water rinses from which 5 ml portions were enriched with brucella enrichment broth with or without oxyrase supplement in a test tube enrichment system. After a 24h stationary incubation at 42C, each sample was assayed using a FCIA procedure for the presence or absence of campylobacters. The FCIA procedure indicated Campylobacter spp. contamination in 84% of carcasses using oxyrase supplemented enrichment, while only 47% of the chicken carcasses were positive from nonsupplemented enrichment. The corresponding incidence rates detected by culture method were 92% and 87% for oxyrase supplemented and unsupplemented samples, respectively. The FCIA procedure can be completed in less than 1 h with 48 samples including a positive and a negative control assayed on one plate. In summary, the test tube oxyrase-supplemented stationary enrichment system followed by the use of the FCIA procedure was found to be an effective, rapid method for the detection of Campylobacter spp. in chicken rinse water.     

COMPARISON of ANALYTICAL SENSITIVITIES of THREE ENZYME IMMUNOASSAY PROCEDURES FOR the DETECTION of SALMONELLA LIPOPOLYSACCHARIDE

The analytical sensitivities of three different enzyme linked immunoassays (ELISA), two competitive and a capture format were assessed. the assay systems employed monoclonal antibodies to Salmonella lipopolysaccharide (LPS) outer core epitopes to detect crude LPS antigens from Salmonella typhimurium. the most sensitive ELISA was the capture procedure, being capable of detection 1.3 ng/ml of LPS. This technique, however also gave the greatest between-test variation and as a result, the lowest amount that could be detected with a 95% confidence limit was actually 12.8 ng/ml and it took the longest time to perform (3 h, 30 min). A competitive ELISA using limiting monoclonal antibody to compete between solid phase antigen and soluble antigen in the sample, ranked second in sensitivity, and can detect 2.8 and 3.8 ng/ml of LPS when tested with two different monoclonal antibodies. However, because of the slight between test variation, the actual sensitivities that could be detected with a 95% confidence limit were 3.1 and 4.6 ng/ml, respectively. This test takes approximately 1 h and 30 min to perform.
The classical type of competitive assay, employing a labelled antigen, was the least sensitive being capable of detecting 5.8 ng/ml if the LPS was conjugated with horseradish peroxidase and 16.0 ng/ml if alkaline phosphatase was used as a label. to account for the between-test variation, the sensitivities with a 95% confidence limit were 8.6 and 18.7 ng/ml for the respective assays, which take 2 h and 15 min to perform.
These sensitivities compare favorably with those published for similar assays, but all of the procedures were judged insufficiently sensitive for direct use on food samples to be tested for the presence of Salmonella species. However, the assays would be quite suitable for demonstration of Salmonella sp. after an enrichment procedure.     

DETECTION OF CLOSTRIDIUM BOTULINUM TYPE E TOXIN BY MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY ENZYME IMMUNOASSAY

Botulinum type E toxin is a well recognized causative agent of seafood botulism poisoning. Underprocessing or postretort recontamination of preserved seafoods has resulted in sporadic cases of botulism. Currently, laboratory mice are being used to detect this toxin. However, it requires three to six days to obtain final results. A rapid method using monoclonal antibody (Mab) enzyme immunoassay was therefore developed. Hybridomas secreting specific Mab against the type E epitope were generated by fusion of SP/20-Ag 14 myeloma cells with spleen cells from BALB/c mice immunized with botulinum type E neurotoxoid. Five potent, stable hybridomas were selected, cloned, propagated, and preserved in liquid nitrogen as cell lines. Immunoglobulin subisotyping showed these Mabs belonged to the IgG subclasses. No cross-reaction was observed with culture supernatants of C. botulinum types A, B, and F or with crude toxins extracts of type C and D. Large quantities of Mabs were produced in ascites fluids, harvested, and affinity purified. A Mab-based biotin-avidin amplified double sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay allowed detection of type E toxin in inoculated seafoods at levels equivalent to 1–10 MLDs/ml (5–10 pg/ml).     

COMPETITIVE ENZYME IMMUNOASSAY FOR THE RAPID IDENTIFICATION OF SALMONELLA

A competitive enzyme immunoassay using a murine monoclonal antibody M105 directed against a genus-specific epitope in the Salmonella lipopolysaccharide was used to identify over 200 strains of Salmonella submitted to the National Laboratory for Enteric Pathogens. The immunoassay rapidly identified 208 strains of Salmonella representative of subspecies I, II, III_a, III_b, IV, and V, including 89 different serotypes from 26 O serogroups. The competitive enzyme immunoassay did not give positive results with 3 strains of Citrobacter freundii and 4 strains of Escherichia coli which were submitted to our laboratory as suspect Salmonella.     

APPLICABILITY OF RAPID METHODS FOR DETECTION OF SALMONELLA SPP. IN POULTRY FEEDS: A REVIEW

The rapid detection of pathogenic microbial species in feed is of paramount importance considering its implications for animal production and food safety. More sensitive and rapid detection of contaminated feedstuffs may lead to more selective and therefore less expensive treatment of feeds, reduced rates of transmission to a poultry host and reduced carcass contamination. In order to interrupt the cycle of Salmonella spp. transmission from feed to poultry to the consumer, more rapid detection methods to monitor these sources are needed that provide conclusive results within the time frame of feed mixing or broiler processing. Within the last decade, new variations of selective media have been investigated to increase selectivity without reducing Salmonella spp. recovery. Immunological assay methods may also decrease assay time from 96 h to within 24–30 h. But all commercially available methods still require 16 to 57 h for preenrichment, enrichment, and in some cases, postenrichment to recover sublethally injured cells before the assay can be performed. Among the molecular methods that are currently available, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) represents a tremendous potential for the detection of low levels of pathogenic bacteria. Once optimized, rapid methods may be used to quickly, reliably and inexpensively screen a variety of feedstuffs and feed components for the presence of Salmonella spp., with the goal of minimizing both the cost of feed treatment and the horizontal transmission of Salmonella spp. from feed to poultry.     

节丛孢属丝孢菌对松材线虫和拟松材线虫的捕食

利用节丛孢属捕食线虫真菌的8个种,11个菌株,对松材线虫（Bx）和拟松材线虫（Bm）进行了捕食力的测定。结果显示节丛孢属真菌对这两种线虫的捕食能力既存在种间差异,也存在同种不同菌株间的差异。指状节丛孢的3个菌株Ad－1,Ad－2,Ad－3菌株对两种线虫均表现出较高的捕食率,接川7d后对Bx和Bm的捕食率分别达到了98．08％,91．16％,86．3％和96．28％,90．45％,85．38％;同一菌株对松材线虫和拟松材线虫的捕食没有选择性。此外,通过对松材线虫和拟松材线虫繁殖真菌的筛选实验,肯定了利用拟松材线虫代替松材线虫进行生防菌株筛选的可行性。     

应用抗体捕捉ELISA法测定病毒特异性IgM抗体

本文以测定麻疹IgM抗体为模型,研究了应用抗体捕捉酶联免疫吸附法(Antibody capture ELISA简称ACELISA)测定病毒性疾病特异性IgM抗体的实验条件,结果表明;用于包被的抗μ链抗体、抗原,检测抗体的剂量对所测得的标本OD值都有不同程度的影响,其中以抗原的影响最大,不同株单克隆抗体(McAb)作检测抗体效果也有差别,最佳株与多克隆抗体(PcAb)相似,以本方法测定麻疹IgM抗体的敏感性和特异性很高,并不受类风湿因子的干扰。     

A PCR IMMUNOASSAY METHOD FOR THE DETECTION OF ALEXANDRIUM (DINOPHYCEAE) SPECIES

PCR primers targeting the internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-5.8S rDNA regions specific for the genus Alexandrium were used to develop an ELISA assay method to detect and enumerate this genus in cultured isolates. The solid-phase ELISA involves the application of a biotinylated labeled primer to target the specific ITS-5.8S rDNA region; the PCR-amplified products, generated in the presence of digoxigenin-11-deoxiuracil triphosphate nucleotide, are captured on the streptavidin-coated microplate. The captured molecules were hybridized to an anti-digoxigenin antibody conjugated with alkaline phosphatase. The presence and number of the Alexandrium cells in the samples resulted in a proportional appearance of color generated by the phosphatase activity in the presence of a chromogenic substrate and measured in a plate reader. This PCR and immunoassay solid-phase assay proved to be a useful technique to detect the presence of Alexandrium sp. in cultured isolates and seawater samples.     

APPLICATION OF GENE AMPLIFICATION IN CONJUNCTION WITH A HYBRIDIZATION SENSOR FOR RAPID DETECTION OF SALMONELLA SPP. AND FECAL CONTAMINATION INDICATORS IN ANIMAL FEEDS

The rapid detection of pathogenic microbial species in feed is of paramount importance considering its implications for animal production and food safety. To demonstrate the feasibility of rapidly detecting Salmonella spp. and fecal pollution microbial indicators in feed using gene amplification protocols, commercial and mixed feed samples were inoculated with two levels of a marker strain of S. typhimurium. Liquid extracts of the feed samples were used as templates in gene amplification reactions to amplify sequences associated with fecal contamination indicators. The sequence specificity of the amplification products (amplicons) were confirmed using biotin and fluorescein labeled probes in a navel dual probe based hybridization sensor. Using the combination of gene amplification and the hybridization sensor, the presence of sequences associated with fecal contamination were detected in 15 different feed matrices without employing preenrichment steps. Using this detection methodology, fecal pollution can be confirmed in feed at naturally occurring concentrations. The study demonstrates that it is possible to rapidly detect and confirm the presence of pathogenic bacterial genera in feed matrices by combining robust gene amplification reactions with appropriate post amplification detection systems.     

A FLUOROMETRIC ASSAY FOR CHOLINE ACETYLTRANSFERASE and ITS USE IN THE PURIFICATION OF THE ENZYME FROM HUMAN PLACENTA

Abstract— A fluorometric assay for choline acetyltransferase has been developed. This assay is based on coupling the choline acetyltransferase dependent formation of acetyl-CoA from acetylcholine and coenzyme A, to the reactions catalyzed by the enzymes citrate synthase and malic dehydrogenase. Although this assay is not as sensitive as previously described radiometric assays, it can be conveniently used during enzyme purification.
Employing this assay method, choline acetyltransferase has been purified from human placenta to a specific activity of 92.7 μmol acetylcholine formed/min/mg protein.     

IMAGE ANALYSIS AS A RAPID PATHOGEN DETECTION METHOD FOR USE IN POULTRY INDUSTRY

An image analysis system was developed and evaluated as a method for rapid detection of Salmonella typhimurium in pure culture and in chicken washes. A direct immunomagnetic separation and immunofluorescent staining technique was developed to capture and identify target cells. Digital images were acquired and segmented into background and bacteria. Bacteria were enumerated using a custom designed image analysis software. The image analyses results were compared with manual enumeration. A correlation coefficient of 0.78 was established between manual and image analysis counts. In addition, the difference between the manual and the image analysis bacterial counts in individual images was low. Image analysis took an average of 15 s to analyze an image. The results indicate that the proposed system has the potential to be used as a rapid screening procedure for bacterial detection in the food industry.     

长期保存丝核菌菌种的一种方法

Cultures of Rhizoctonia spp. maintained on agar media at 15℃ should be transferred every 4-5 months to ensure viability. This procedure could consume an excessive amount of time, and isolates that are transferred frequently may undergo genetic changes resulting in reduction in virulence. Therefore, methods for long-term storage (>6 months) are required. 1 MATERIALS AND METHODS More than 130 strains of Rhizoctonia spp. were isolated from the soil and the infected plant tissues in Yunn…     

APPLICATION OF POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION-OLIGONUCLEOTIDE LIGATION ASSAY FOR THE DETECTION OF SALMONELLAE IN PROCESSED MEAT, POULTRY, FISH, AND PET FOODS

We have tested a rapid and sensitive DNA-based assay for the detection of Salmonella serovars in a number of different processed meat, fish, poultry, and pet food samples. This technique uses an enrichment broth cultivation followed by a Salmonella-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and oligonucleotide ligation assay (OLA) to specifically detect amplified PCR products in an ELISA-based microtiter plate format. The combined cultivation and PCR-OLA techniques were compared with a conventional culture method and with DNA hybridizations of PCR products for the detection of Salmonella bacteria. Eighty-one different processed meat, poultry, and pet food samples were screened for the presence of Salmonella serovars after 24 h and 48 h of enrichment broth cultivation. After 24 h of incubation, one ground turkey sample was positive by both culture and PCR-OLA (100% sensitivity and 100% specificity). After 48 h of incubation, two additional samples (ground beef and a dog food sample) were positive by both culture and PCR-OLA (100% sensitivity and 100% specificity), and three other samples (two ground beef samples and one ground turkey) were positive only by PCR-OLA (96.1% specificity). All positive PCR-OLA results were confirmed in DNA hybridizations with an oligonucleotide specific for the amplified PCR product. When compared to conventional culture, the combined 48 h enrichment and PCR-OLA had a positive predictive value of 50% and a negative predictive value of 100%. We concluded that a combined cultivation and PCR-OLA could be used as a sensitive and specific presumptive screening method for detecting Salmonella serovars in processed meat, fish, poultry, and pet foods.     

酶抑制动力学模型判断中的统计分析

文章用数理统计的方法导出了酶抑制动力学研究中双倒数作图法的统计模型,克服了作图法中主观因素的干扰,建立了判断竞争抑制,非竞争抑制,反竞争抑制,线性混合抑制的统计分析方法。