Development and evaluation of two rapid lateral flow assays for on-site detection of African swine fever virus.

Introduction: African swine fever (ASF) is a lethal and highly contagious transboundary animal disease with the potential for rapid international spread. In the absence of a widely available and definitively proven vaccine, rapid and early detection is critical for ASF control. The quick and user-friendly lateral flow assay (LFA) can easily be performed by following simple instructions and is ideal for on-site use. This study describes the development and validation of two LFAs for the rapid detection of ASF virus (ASFV) in pig serum. Methods: The highly immunogenic antigens (p30 and p72) of ASFV Georgia 2007/1 (genotype II) were expressed in plants (Nicotiana benthamiana) and were used to immunize BALB/c mice to generate specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the p30 and p72 proteins. mAbs with the strongest binding ability to each protein were used to develop p30_LFA and p72_LFA for detecting the respective ASFV antigens. The assays were first evaluated using a spike-in test by adding the purified p30 or p72 protein to a serum sample from a healthy donor pig. Further validation of the tests was carried out using serum samples derived from experimentally infected domestic pigs, field domestic pigs, and feral pigs, and the results were compared with those of ASFV real-time PCR. Results: p30_LFA and p72_LFA showed no cross-reaction with common swine viruses and delivered visual results in 15 min. When testing with serially diluted proteins in swine serum samples, analytical sensitivity reached 10 ng/test for p30_LFA and 20 ng/test for p72_LFA. Using real-time PCR as a reference, both assays demonstrated high sensitivity (84.21% for p30_LFA and 100% for p72_LFA) with experimentally ASFV-infected pig sera. Specificity was 100% for both LFAs using a panel of PBS-inoculated domestic pig sera. Excellent specificity was also shown for field domestic pig sera (100% for p30_LFA and 93% for p72_LFA) and feral pig sera (100% for both LFAs). Conclusion: The results obtained in this study suggest that p30_LFA and p72_LFA hold promise as rapid, sensitive, user-friendly, and field-deployable tools for ASF control, particularly in settings with limited laboratory resources.

Fabrication of a paper strip for facile and rapid detection of bovine viral diarrhea virus via signal enhancement by copper polyhedral nanoshells.

The detection of bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV), which is a pathogen inducing fatal gastrointestinal disease in cattle, is becoming a momentous issue in the livestock farm. In that, BVDV is related to inapparent infection and various diseases with high transmissibility; it has also led to considerable economic losses. In this study, a simple dot-blotting method was devised to construct a rapid screening system for BVDV. Based on the BVDV-specific bioreceptors, it was anchored on the gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) to generate the seeding sites for signaling; then the signals were amplified by adopting the overgrowth of copper nano-polyhedral shells on AuNPs. The developed detection system shows a low detection limit of 4.4 copies per mL, and even this could be distinguished with naked eyes. These results indicate that the designed nanobiosensor possesses not only high sensitivity and selectivity but also potential usage on a point-of-care testing platform for BVDV.

The effects of rosiglitazone and metformin on the plasma concentrations of resistin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Resistin is a protein secreted from adipose tissue that is thought to play a role in insulin sensitivity. We examined the effects of rosiglitazone and metformin on the plasma resistin levels in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus who showed poor glycemic control with glimepiride (4 mg/d) were randomized to rosiglitazone (4 mg/d) and metformin (500 mg bid) treatment groups. All subjects continued glimepiride treatment as well. The plasma concentrations of resistin were measured at baseline and at 6 months of treatment for both groups. The anthropometric parameters, fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, free fatty acids, and adiponectin concentrations were also measured. After 6 months of treatment, the reduction in plasma glucose levels was similar between the 2 groups. There were no significant changes in the lipid profiles of either group during the study period. The plasma resistin levels decreased in the rosiglitazone group (2.49 +/- 1.93 vs 1.95 +/- 1.59 ng/ml; P < .05) but increased in the metformin group (2.61 +/- 1.69 vs 5.13 +/- 2.81 ng/ml; P < .05). The plasma adiponectin concentrations were increased in the rosiglitazone group (2.91 +/- 1.46 vs 4.23 +/- 1.77 microg/ml; P < .05) but were unchanged in the metformin group. In summary, rosiglitazone treatment decreased the plasma resistin levels whereas metformin treatment increased them in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus showing poor glycemic control with sulfonylurea therapy. These results suggest that the observed changes in plasma resistin levels are not the consequences of improved insulin resistance, nor are they consequences of glycemic control. Considering the potential role of resistin in insulin resistance, decrease in resistin levels may contribute to improving insulin action with rosiglitazone treatment.

Plasma resistin concentrations measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a newly developed monoclonal antibody are elevated in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Resistin is an adipocyte-derived peptide that might play a role in obesity and insulin resistance. However, its role in humans is largely unclear. Although many studies have measured the expression of human resistin in tissues, the circulating concentrations of resistin and its relation to metabolic parameters in humans are unknown. We developed an ELISA for human resistin and measured plasma concentrations in aged individuals with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus. To validate the results of plasma resistin concentrations in our subjects, plasma adiponectin concentrations were also determined, which were higher in nondiabetic subjects than in type 2 diabetic patients and correlated with the homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Log-transformed plasma resistin concentrations (log-resistin) were higher in diabetic patients compared with normal individuals (0.50 +/- 0.39 vs. 0.28 +/- 0.51 ng/ml; P < 0.001), and this difference was significant after controlling for gender and body mass index. Log-resistin did not show a significant correlation with HOMA-IR, waist circumference, body mass index, blood pressure, or total cholesterol. The plasma glucose concentration was an independent factor associated with log-resistin. In conclusion, plasma resistin concentrations are elevated in patients with type 2 diabetes, but are not associated with insulin resistance or obesity.