Multiplex Screening Panel for the Detection of Clostridium botulinum Toxin Genes

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Project Title Multiplex Screening Panel for the Detection of Toxins (Clostridium botulinum Toxin Genes ; Staphylococcal Enterotoxin genes) in Food: Liquid MicroArray xTAG Technology Abstract Food borne disease outbreaks and food borne illnesses place a significant load on the health care system in the United States each year. While the number of food borne disease outbreaks (FBDO) reported to the CDC in 2008 have decreased from 1,270 (2006) to 1,034 (2008), the number of hospitalizations have increased where 23,152 became ill and there were 22 reported deaths. (1) Due to its self-limiting nature, Staphyloccocal food-intoxication goes mostly unreported. While it is rarely life-threatening, traditionally vulnerable populations, such as young children and the elderly, are disproportionately affected with a 4.4% mortality rate (2). However, it is the incapacitating effects of inhalational exposure to serotype B (Staphylococcal Enterotoxin B-SEB), a Category B select agent, that is of utmost concern. The development of a rapid molecular tool to screen for botulinum neurotoxin genes A and B ( bot A, bot B) for diagnostic purposes and surveillance may provide a better understanding of the epidemiology of the disease; it may be used as a predictor for the presence of the functional toxins in the food that may lead to successful treatment, reduce the number of hospitalizations and reduce the risk of deaths from botulism. Additionally, the faster an agent and source can be traced, the higher the public's confidence and trust in those agencies responsible for keeping our food safe. More importantly, it will benefit food surveillance and outbreak investigations not only in Hawaii but also to provide support for the US Affiliated Pacific Islands.