Development of in-farm diagnostic tests for Campylobacter

研究工作由一个由研究和工业技术专家、科学家和家禽生产者组成的联盟进行。目的是开发一种快速测试系统，可以非常准确地用于在农场评估鸡群的内脏中是否携带空肠C或大肠C弯曲杆菌。这种细菌不会对禽类造成伤害，但却是一种主要的人类病原体，在英国每年造成7万至30万病例的暴发。我们相信，通过提高屠宰场的知识和有针对性的应对措施，增加胴体清洗和开发其他工厂干预措施，我们可以将人类感染率降低高达70%，为卫生服务节省大量资金，并减少许多失去工作日的人力成本。迄今为止的进展。选择性研究已经进行，以证明灯试验过程可以显示当C大肠杆菌或C空肠存在。随后进行的进一步试验表明，分析仪对大肠杆菌的反应与对金黄色葡萄球菌、单核细胞增生L型葡萄球菌和表皮葡萄球菌的反应有很大不同。所有这些试验都取得了成功。然后，我们开始评估在捕获弯曲杆菌细胞的水平上，我们仍然可以得到一个独特的和阳性的测试结果，收集了包裹着目标细菌抗原的珠子上的生物体。退火温度下的结果。已经开展了进一步的工作，以显示测试对使用涂有涂层的珠子选择的样品的影响，然后将样品加热以杀死和分解目标生物体的DNA。该试验组对目标生物也有明显而清晰的效果，并且与弯曲杆菌一起测试的其他细菌没有看到效果。我们对第一季度工作的进展和成功感到满意，并且进展比我们预期的要好。已直接从火鸡养殖场收集粪便样本，并正在进行进一步检测。第二季度目标。将进行额外的验证工作，以验证选择性并确定该分析的检测限。内部扩增控制也将被构建并纳入分析。我们希望完成仪器设计规范，并继续电子开发。这个概念开始看起来像一个对农场友好的过程，即使是轻微感染的鸡群也能提供准确的结果，准确度非常高，而且测试在一个小时内就完成了。杰里米·霍尔-首席协调员和工业领导2012年7月

BackgroundThe research work is being undertaken by a consortium of research and industry based technologists, scientists and poultry producers. The aim is to develop a rapid test system that can be used with great accuracy to evaluate on the farm whether the flock is carrying in its visceral tract the campylobacter’s of C Jejuni or C Coli.The bacterium does not harm the birds but is a major human pathogen causing outbreaks at the level of between 70.000 and 300.000 cases per year in the United Kingdom.We believe that via greater knowledge and a targeted response in the slaughter plant with increased carcass washing and the development of other factory interventions, we can reduce the human infection rate by up to 70%, saving the Health service considerable sums and reducing the human cost of many lost days off work.Progress to date.Selective studies have been undertaken to prove that the lamp assay process can show when either C Coli or C Jejuni are present. Further tests have then been undertaken to show that the response on the analyser to C Coli is dramatically different to that for S Aureus, L Monocytogenes, and S Epidermis. All of these tests have been successful.We have then moved to assess at what levels of capture of the Campylobacter cells can we still get a distinctive and positive test result, having collected the organisms on beads encrusted with the antigen for the target bacteria.Results at annealing temperatures.Further work has been undertaken to show the effects of the tests on samples that have been selected using coated beads, and then the samples are heated to kill and break down the DNA of the target organism. This test group was also effective with a distinct and clear plot for the target organism and with no effect being seen from other bacteria tested alongside the campylobacter’s.ProgressWe are pleased with the progress and success of the work in the first quarter, and have progressed better than we had expected. Samples of faecal samples have been collected direct from turkey farms and further tests are being undertaken.Second Quarter targets.Additional verification work will be undertaken to verify the selectivity and to determine the detection limit of the assay. An internal amplification control will also be constructed and incorporated into the assay.We hope to complete the instrument design specification, and continue with the electronics development. The concept is starting to look like a farm friendly process that can deliver accurate results even from lightly infected flocks, with very good accuracy, and with tests completed in well under an hour.JEREMY HALL - Lead Co-ordinator and Industrial lead.13 July 2012