title: Development of a serodiagnostic test for sheep scab using recombinant protein Pso o 2.
abstract: Early stages of sheep scab, the disease caused by the non-burrowing mite Psoroptes ovis, are often sub-clinical, or can be mis-diagnosed. A diagnostic test capable of detecting early disease and latent infestations is therefore highly desirable in disease control. This paper describes the design and validation of an ELISA, which incorporates a recombinant P. ovis antigen (Pso o 2), for the early detection of anti-P. ovis serum antibodies in sheep. This ELISA was evaluated using sera from sheep infested with P. ovis (n = 58) and sheep (n = 433) with no P. ovis infestation as well as sheep infected with other parasites including gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN), or chewing lice. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was generated using the ELISA results for 491 sheep sera with the area under the curve (AUC) being 0.97. An optimal OD(450) cut-off of >0.06 absorbance units gave a test sensitivity of 0.93 and specificity of 0.90. The Pso o 2-based ELISA was able to detect specific antibodies to P. ovis during early experimental infestation prior to disease patency, indicating its utility for detecting sub-clinical infestation.
authors.affiliation: Division of Parasitology, Moredun Research Institute, Pentlands Science Park, Bush Loan, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0PZ, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: Francesca G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Nunn
authors.forename: Stewart T G
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Burgess
authors.forename: Giles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Innocent
authors.forename: Alasdair J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Nisbet
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bates
authors.forename: John F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Huntley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D000941:Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D042241:Early Diagnosis; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods*; D008924:Mite Infestations / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology / Q000662:veterinary*; D040042:Psoroptidae / Q000276:immunology*; D012372:ROC Curve; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D012698:Serologic Tests; D012756:Sheep; D012757:Sheep Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000469:parasitology
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D000941:Antigens; D011994:Recombinant Proteins