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E. A. JOHNSON, Food Research Institute, Univ. of Wisconsin, Madison, Dept. of Food Microbiology & Toxicology, 1925 Willow Dr., Madison, WI 53706-1114 Clostridium botulinum and certain other neurotoxigenic clostridia produce neurotoxins of extraordinary potency. These neurotoxins are the most poisonous substances known, having an intravenous toxicity of less than a nanogram per kilogram body weight, and an estimated lethal oral dose of 10 to 70 micrograms for an adult. Due to their potency and oral toxicity, they have been considered as potential bioterrorist threat agents for introduction into the food supply. The standard method for detection is the mouse bioassay, which is capable of detecting a mouse LD50 (approximately 7 pg) per g of food sample. There are several drawbacks to the mouse bioassay including the use of animals and the time required to obtain a quantitative titer. Rapid diagnostic methods are urgently needed that will be able to detect biologically active botulinum neurotoxins at a sensitivity and specificity equivalent to the mouse test. In this talk, methods and platforms for detection of botulinum neurotoxins are described including enhanced ELISA, FRET-based enzyme assays, micro- and nanofluidics, and cell-based assays. Certain of these methods have the potential for rapid and sensitive detection of botulinum toxin in clinical samples and food matrices.
Session 26, Food defense and protection: Detection of poisonous agents
2005 IFT Annual Meeting, July 15-20 - New Orleans, Louisiana |