Rapid Identification of Francisella tularensis by a Fluorogenic Enzyme Immunoassay.

摘要

A highly sensitive fluorogenic enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (FELISA), which utilizes nitrocellulose membranes as solid phase support and a fluorogenic substrate to indicate the antigen, has been adapted for the rapid identification of Francisella tularensis. Multiple samples were assayed in approximately 6 h by this method. The sensitivity achieved in a four layer 'sandwich' assay format was 10 femtogram mL(-1) of outer membrane protein and 100 colony forming units mL(-1) of Francisella tularensis whole cells. The assay was highly specific for the detection of homologous and heterologous strains of Francisella tularensis while unrelated bacteria, including Brucella strains, exhibited no cross-reactivity.