A unique way of testing for Naja venom in bite victims. This is a serum test that in essence, works similarly to how a pregnancy test picks up on hCG in women. Results in 20 minutes or less. Further reading on how the immunochromatography platform is assembled: https://aacc.org/resourcecenters/meet_abstracts_archive/abstracts_archive/oak_ridge/Documents/70505bb864324100b8d7cd5a88ad511fORC05_abs11.pdf Rapid diagnosis of Naja atra snakebites D. Z. Hung1,2, J. H. Lin1, J. F. Mo1, C. F. Huang3 and M. Y. Liau4 1Division of Toxicology, China Medical University Hospital Taichung Taiwan 2Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Science, College of Medicine, China Medical University Taichung Taiwan 3School of Chinese Medicine, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University Taichung Taiwan 4Department of Biotechnology, Fooyin University Kaohsiung Taiwan Address correspondence to Dong-Zong Hung, M.D., Ph.D., Division of Toxicology, China Medical University Hospital and Graduate Institute of Clinical Medical Science, College of Medicine, China Medical University, No. 91 Hsueh-Shih Road, Taichung 40402, Taiwan. Tel: + 886-4-22333916. E-mail: [email protected] Clinical Toxicology Vol. 52: Issue. 3: Pages. 187-191 (Volume publication date: March 2014) DOI: 10.3109/15563650.2014.887725 PreviousNext Abstract Background. The clinical diagnosis of snakebites is critical and necessary in many parts of the world, especially in Southeastern Asia, where venomous snakebites are a burden on public health. It is difficult to define or recognize the species of venomous snake because of the overlapping clinical manifestations of envenomations. A quick and reliable method for identifying the snake species is necessary. We designed and tested a strip of lateral flow system for the diagnosis of cobra snake bites in Taiwan. Methods. We developed a kit based on an immunochromatographic method for rapid detection of cobra (Naja atra) venom in human serum. The test and control lines composed of 1 mg/ml polyclonal duck antivenom and 0.5 mg/ml goat anti-rabbit immunoglobulin antibody solutions, respectively, were coated on nitrocellulose strips. Colloidal gold was conjugated with rabbit polyclonal anti-cobra venom antibodies. From July 2007 to December 2012, we used the kit to test serum from snakebite patients and to examine the agreement between our rapid test and the currently used sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results. Our kit was able to detect cobra venom in serum samples in 20 minutes with a detection limit of 5 ng/ml. An absence of cross-reactivity with other non-cobra venoms from Taiwan was noted in vitro. A total of 88 snakebite patients (34 cobra and 54 other non-cobra) were tested. The sensitivity of the strips based on the ELISA results was 83.3% and the specificity was 100%. There was a strong agreement between the results of the ELISA and immunochromatographic strips (κ = 0.868). Discussion and conclusions. This data indicates that an immunochromatographic strip might be suitable for cobra venom detection and could be used as a quick diagnostic tool in cases of N. atra snakebite.
Posted on: Mon, 11 Aug 2014 07:01:12 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015