Development of a monoclonal antibody for specific detection of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and analysis of its antigen.

Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a major foodborne pathogen worldwide. Contamination of V. parahaemolyticus in foods must be detected as quickly as possible because raw seafood, a major source of V.

Development of a Rapid and Versatile Method of Enzyme-Linked Immunoassay Combined with Immunoaffinity Column for Aflatoxin Analysis.

We combined immunoaffinity column (IAC) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods to develop a rapid method to analyze total aflatoxin (AF) in foods, using a large number of samples. Using newly developed monoclonal antibodies, with high cross-reactivity and high organic solvent tolerance, we developed the IAC-ELISA method. Our IAC-ELISA method showed a good correlation with the high-performance liquid chromatography method for corn samples spiked with total AF.

Development of a rapid immunochromatographic assay to detect contamination of raw oysters with enteropathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH) and TDH-related hemolysin (TRH) are major virulence factors of enteropathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus. TDH and TRH are bacterial exotoxins, and their presence in culture medium serves as a specific marker for detecting this significant pathogen. Here, we developed and evaluated an immunochromatographic assay (TDH/TRH-ICA) to simultaneously or individually detect TDH and TRH.

Evaluation of an immunochromatographic assay for direct identification of thermostable direct hemolysin-producing Vibrio parahaemolyticus colonies on selective agar plates.

We evaluated the utility of an immunochromatographic assay (NH IC TDH) in identifying thermostable direct hemolysin (TDH)-producing Vibrio parahaemolyticus colonies on selective agar plates. The sensitivity of the NH IC TDH assay was 100% (189 samples) and its specificity was 100% (41 samples) compared with the presence of tdh.

Potential rapid and simple lateral flow assay for Escherichia coli O111.

We developed and evaluated a lateral flow assay (LFA) as a simple and rapid method for direct detection of Escherichia coli O111 in food after enrichment. When cell suspensions of 8 E. coli O111 strains and 77 non-E.

Simple, rapid, and reliable detection of Escherichia coli O26 using immunochromatography.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O26 has been increasingly associated with diarrheal disease all over the world. We developed an immunochromatographic (ic) strip for the rapid detection of E. coli O26 in food samples.

Development of a novel multiplex lateral flow assay using an antimicrobial peptide for the detection of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli.

The binding capacity of peptides with broad antimicrobial activity, or antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), to microbes has recently been applied to the specific detection of bacteria and viruses. We established a novel lateral flow assay (LFA) that combines AMPs labeled with colloidal gold and a target-specific antibody immobilized on a nitrocellulose membrane. α-Helical AMPs, especially cecropin P1 (CP1), magainin 2 (MG2), and ceratotoxin A (CtxA), were shown to have optimal properties as probes in LFA.

Genotypic change of porcine circovirus type 2 on Japanese pig farms as revealed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) has been recognized as the causal agent of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome and can be divided into two major genotypic groups. We developed a method of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of PCV2 open reading frame 2 for easy discrimination between the two major groups. Genotyping of PCV2 isolates from 10 Japanese commercial pig farms was performed, and the analysis revealed that both PCV2 groups and at least five RFLP types of PCV2 are prevalent in Japan.