Rapid detection of viruses using electrical biochips and anti-virion sera.
OBJECTIVE
Rapid detection and quantification of viruses is crucial in clinical practice, veterinary medicine, agriculture, basic research as well as in biotechnological factories. However, although various techniques were described and are currently used, development of more rapid, more sensitive and quantitative methods seems to be still important.


RESULTS
Here we describe a method for rapid detection of viruses (using bacteriophages as model viruses), based on electrical biochip array technology with the use of antibodies against capsid proteins.


CONCLUSIONS
Using the procedure developed in this work, we were able to detect 2 x 10(4) virions on the chip. The whole assay procedure takes c. 50 min and the assay is quantitative.


CONCLUSIONS
This procedure may be useful in various approaches, including detection of bacteriophage contamination in bioreactors and possibly detection of toxin gene-bearing phages or other viruses in food samples.
Łoś
M
M
Department of Molecular Biology, University of Gdańsk, Gdańsk, Poland.
Łoś
J M
JM
Blohm
L
L
Spillner
E
E
Grunwald
T
T
Albers
J
J
Hintsche
R
R
Wegrzyn
G
G
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D017104:Bacteriophage M13; D010582:Bacteriophage lambda; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology; D040081:Protein Array Analysis / Q000379:methods; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014773:Virology / Q000379:methods*; D014780:Viruses / Q000302:isolation & purification*
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins