Kui Zhu

Simultaneous detection of multiple chemical residues in milk using broad-specificity antibodies in a hybrid immunosorbent assay

In this study, a novel immunoassay using 2 types of sensors (QDs and an enzyme) were simultaneously used for detecting multiple structurally different molecules in milk. The method integrates the fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay (FLISA) using QD605 and QD655 as probes and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using horseradish peroxidase (HRP) labeled secondary antibody. The FLISA was produced by anti-sulfonamide and anti-quinolone broad-specificity monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) for simultaneously detecting 6 sulfonamides and 11 quinolones. Combined with the FLISA, an ELISA was utilized for detecting melamine from the same milk samples. The cross-reactivity of the MAbs was retained while binding the QDs by using avidin and a secondary antibody as bridges. Milk samples were detected using this hybrid immunoassay, with limits of detection (LOD) of the quinolones (0.18 ng mL(-1)), sulfonamides (0.17 ng mL(-1)) and melamine (7.5 ng mL(-1)), respectively. The results demonstrated that the detection limits of the integrated methods were better than required and simplified the sample pretreatment process. The developed immunoassay is suitable for high-throughput screening of low-molecular weight contaminants.

Recent Developments in Antibody-Based Assays for the Detection of Bacterial Toxins

Considering the urgent demand for rapid and accurate determination of bacterial toxins and the recent promising developments in nanotechnology and microfluidics, this review summarizes new achievements of the past five years. Firstly, bacterial toxins will be categorized according to their antibody binding properties into low and high molecular weight compounds. Secondly, the types of antibodies and new techniques for producing antibodies are discussed, including poly- and mono-clonal antibodies, single-chain variable fragments (scFv), as well as heavy-chain and recombinant antibodies. Thirdly, the use of different nanomaterials, such as gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), quantum dots (QDs) and carbon nanomaterials (graphene and carbon nanotube), for labeling antibodies and toxins or for readout techniques will be summarized. Fourthly, microscale analysis or minimized devices, for example microfluidics or lab-on-a-chip (LOC), which have attracted increasing attention in combination with immunoassays for the robust detection or point-of-care testing (POCT), will be reviewed. Finally, some new materials and analytical strategies, which might be promising for analyzing toxins in the near future, will be shortly introduced.

Rapid and Sensitive Fluoroimmunoassay Based on Quantum Dots for Detection of Melamine in Milk

A rapid and sensitive indirect competitive fluorescence-linked immunosorbent assay (icFLISA) method was developed for detection of melamine in milk based on secondary antibody (Ab2)-conjugated quantum dots (QDs). The sensitivity of icFLISA with a limit of detection (LOD) of melamine (3.88 ng mL−1) and 50% inhibition value (IC50) (31.58 ng mL−1), was much higher than that of icELISA. As a proof of principle, recovery tests involving four fortification levels (150, 80, 40, and 20 ngmL−1) in blank samples were also performed. The recoveries ranged from 80.85 to 110.54% with coefficient of variations (CVs) of 2.82–8.82%. When challenged with authentic samples, these results of icFLISA were consistent with that of icELISA, immuno-chromatographic assay and gas chromatography-single quadruple mass spectrometry (GC-MS)method, indicating that icFLISA can be considered as a new screening method for detection of melamine in milk.

Probiotic Bacillus cereus Strains, a Potential Risk for Public Health in China

Bacillus cereus is an important cause of foodborne infectious disease and food poisoning. However, B. cereus has also been used as a probiotic in human medicine and livestock production, with low standards of safety assessment. In this study, we evaluated the safety of 15 commercial probiotic B. cereus preparations from China in terms of mislabeling, toxin production, and transferable antimicrobial resistance. Most preparations were incorrectly labeled, as they contained additional bacterial species; one product did not contain viable B. cereus at all. In total, 18 B. cereus group strains—specifically B. cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis—were isolated. Enterotoxin genes nhe, hbl, and cytK1, as well as the ces-gene were assessed by PCR. Enterotoxin production and cytotoxicity were confirmed by ELISA and cell culture assays, respectively. All isolated B. cereus group strains produced the enterotoxin Nhe; 15 strains additionally produced Hbl. Antimicrobial resistance was assessed by microdilution; resistance genes were detected by PCR and further characterized by sequencing, transformation and conjugation assays. Nearly half of the strains harbored the antimicrobial resistance gene tet(45). In one strain, tet(45) was situated on a mobile genetic element—encoding a site-specific recombination mechanism—and was transferable to Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis by electro-transformation. In view of the wide and uncontrolled use of these products, stricter regulations for safety assessment, including determination of virulence factors and transferable antimicrobial resistance genes, are urgently needed.

Evaluation of the Toxicity and Toxicokinetics of Cereulide from an Emetic Bacillus cereus Strain of Milk Origin.

Bacillus cereus is an opportunistic foodborne agent causing food poisoning and many infectious diseases. The heat-stable emetic toxin cereulide is one of the most prevalent toxins produced by pathogenic B. cereus, resulting in symptoms such as emesis and liver failure. In the present work, the toxicity and toxicokinetics of cereulide from an emetic B. cereus isolate (CAU45) of raw milk were evaluated. The production of cereulide was tested by a cytotoxicity test and enzyme immunoassay, and confirmed by the presence of the ces (cereulide synthetase) gene and the ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method. All results showed that the amount and toxicity of cereulide produced by CAU45 was 7 to 15.3 folds higher than the reference emetic B. cereus DSMZ 4312. Cereulide in plasma was collected at different time points after a single intravenous injection to evaluate its toxicokinetics in rabbits. The maximum concentration of cereulide was achieved in 2.6 ± 3.4 h after administration, with the elimination half-life of 10.8 ± 9.1 h, which expands our understanding of the toxic effects of cereulide. Together, it suggests that urgent sanitary practices are needed to eliminate emetic toxins and emetic B. cereus in raw milk.

Determination of Salbutamol, Clenbuterol, and Brombuterol in Urine by a Highly Sensitive Chemiluminescence Enzyme Immunoassay

A salbutamol-bovine serum albumin and a salbutamol-ovalbumin coating antigen were synthesized, and six New Zealand white rabbits were treated with the immunogen to obtain polyclonal antibodies to develop a rapid, sensitive, and indirect chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay (ciCLEIA) for the analysis of swine and bovine urine. The prepared antibodies showed high cross-reactivities with clenbuterol (139.6%) and brombuterol (225%). Under the optimized conditions, the linear dynamic range and the limit of detection (LOD) for salbutamol were from 0.007 to 0.17 µg L−1 and 0.003 µg L−1, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9965 and a half maximum inhibition concentration of 0.028 µg L−1. Recoveries for salbutamol, clenbuterol, and brombuterol were from 78.8% to 119.0% with intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation less than 13.9% and 19.7%, respectively. The reported ciCLEIA was about 10-fold more sensitive for salbutamol and 20-fold more sensitive for clenbuterol compared to conventional methods. This study showed that ciCLEIA was a reliable, convenient, and sensitive method for the simultaneous determination of salbutamol, clenbuterol, and brombuterol in swine and bovine urine.