PrioCHECK® Besnoitia Ab
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About the PrioCHECK® Besnoitia Ab
The PrioCHECK® Besnoitia Ab is the first commercial test on the market and is a highly effective tool for comprehensive screening, monitoring, and control of bovine benoitiosis within cattle herds. It is also a useful tool for application in the animal trade sector to minimize the risk of introducing new infections to a region. The test detects the besnoitiosis parasite at an early stage of infection. As a result, infected animals can be rapidly isolated, minimizing spread of the infection. Moreover, affected cattle detected early after infection can be more successfully medically treated. Due to the simple procedure and short testing times, screening, control and monitoring of herds is carried out more efficiently than with the currently used Western blot analysis.
Test procedure
The PrioCHECK® Besnoitia Ab ELISA procedure follows a simple, four-step protocol, which makes the assay very easy to use. One plate with 90 prepared samples can be analyzed within two and half hours. Colored buffers are provided to make handling of the assay even more convenient. The PrioCHECK® Besnoitia Ab is an indirect ELISA for the detection of antibodies against Besnoitia besnoiti in bovine serum samples. Test samples are incubated in plates coated with Besnoitia antigen at room temperature. Plates are then washed and an anti-Bovine antibody labeled with an enzyme that generates a color signal is added. The signal is measured and if color develops the sample is positive for anti-Besnoitia antibodies. Color intensity is directly related to the amount of specific antibody present in the test sample.
Performance
The PrioCHECK® Besnoitia Ab test produced excellent results in a validation study of the Swiss Reference Laboratory in Berne and the National Veterinary College of Toulouse (ENVT). Tested were 107 confirmed negative samples from a Besnoitia non-endemic region and 46 confirmed-positive samples. The positive samples either were clinical cases or were verified with the Western blot test. PrioCHECK® Besnoitia Ab showed a sensitivity and specificity of 98 %.
