Antigen Test Kit for Mad Cow

A test kit with an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as mad cow disease, has been developed by Idexx Laboratories, Inc. (Westbrook, Maine).

The kit was developed and validated by the Freedom EVO liquid handling platform, the Columbus Pro micropolate washer, and the Sunrise absorbance reader of Tecan US (Research Triangle Park, NC, USA). The BSE test is an antigen-capture EIA for detection of the abnormal conformation of the prion protein (PrPsc), which has been associated with incidences of BSE in post-mortem brain tissues from affected cows. Methods for rapid screening of post-mortem samples are essential to ensure that BSE-tainted products do not enter the market.

Using Tecan's Freedom EVO robotic sample processor with 8-tip liquid-handling arm, the assay can be fully automated for high throughput applications, making it suitable for use in BSE eradication programs, herd management, and abattoir surveillance programs.

"It is extremely easy to run the Idexx test with automation,” explained Nevena Djuranovic, marketing manager, Idexx. "The Tecan platform can run nine plates (828 samples) in five hours, giving BSE laboratories an excellent option for processing BSE samples.”





Related Links:
Idexx
Tecan