Fast and convenient assay for quantifying total immunoglobulin levels in cattle serum and colostrum

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Maternal antibodies are crucial in the protection of calves against a large number of neonatal diseases. Maternaltransfer of antibodies is restricted to the uptake of colostrum in contrast to other animals that are capable ofplacental transfer. Consequently, the concentrations of antibodies in colostrum is essential for the survival andwell-being of the calves. Dairy producers have a choice of testing and storing high quality colostrum on farm orpurchasing commercially available (e.g. Saskatoon Colostrum Company Ltd. (SSCL)) quality controlled freezedried colostrum.To produce uniform colostrum, SSCL needs to quantify the IgG levels of all the input colostrum batches and oftheir end-product. Currently, they are using an in-house Radial Immuno Diffusion assay which is slow andlabor intensive.In this project, we will adapt a novel total IgG assay to the needs and specification of SSCL's productionprocesses. The novel assay which is based on a split enzyme fused to immunoglobulin binding proteindomains. This assay has the advantage that no rinsing steps are required and that it has been previouslydemonstrated to correlate well with RID results. To eliminate any pipetting steps and thereby increaseconvenience and accuracy, the objectives of this project are to 1. Establish high through-put single step filterpaper based colostrum IgG separation method compatible with the IgG quantification assay. 2. Compare andselect the most practical and efficient version among different assay formats. 3. Production of all bioreagentsby a single E.coli strain.The projected reduction of sample processing and increased speed of test, will allow SSCL to significantlyramp up its colostrum testing capacity. The low-cost materials, ease of production of the bio-reagents and thelack of need for specialised equipment, which will make this a very inexpensive test system. This will helpSSCL reduce the production costs and be more profitable and competitive.