Development of an Immunochromatographic Strip for Rapid Detection of Mink Enteritis Virus

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Virology
• Immunodiagnostics
• Nanotechnology in Diagnostics

Background:

• Mink enteritis virus (MEV) poses a significant threat to mink health due to its acute, virulent, and highly contagious nature.
• Current diagnostic methods for MEV are often time-consuming, hindering rapid disease management.
• There is a critical need for a quick and reliable diagnostic tool for MEV surveillance and control.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a single-step competitive immunochromatographic strip (ICS) assay for the rapid determination of MEV.
• To optimize the assay parameters for maximum sensitivity and specificity.
• To evaluate the performance of the developed ICS assay against a commercially available test kit.

Main Methods:

• Conjugation of colloidal gold nanoparticles with a MEV-specific monoclonal antibody (MAb 14).
• Development of a single-step competitive immunochromatographic strip (ICS) assay.
• Optimization of antibody and protein concentrations (MAb 14, MEV VP2 protein, goat anti-mouse antibody).
• Determination of the limit of detection (LOD) using MEV B strain.
• Specificity testing against common mink viruses.
• Comparative analysis with a commercial canine parvovirus (CPV) Ag Test Kit using 289 field samples.

Main Results:

• The optimal concentrations for key assay components were determined.
• The limit of detection for the MEV ICS assay was established at approximately 512 hemagglutination units/100 μl.
• The assay demonstrated high specificity, with no cross-reactivity observed against other common mink viruses.
• Comparative testing showed a high percentage of agreement (94.1%) with a commercial CPV Ag Test Kit.
• The MEV ICS assay exhibited excellent relative sensitivity (93.2%) and specificity (97.1%).

Conclusions:

• The developed single-step competitive immunochromatographic strip (ICS) assay is a convenient and rapid method for MEV detection.
• The assay demonstrates sufficient sensitivity and specificity for practical application in diagnosing MEV.
• This diagnostic tool can significantly aid in the timely management and control of MEV outbreaks in mink.