title: Evaluation of up-converting phosphor technology-based lateral flow strips for rapid detection of Bacillus anthracis Spore, Brucella spp., and Yersinia pestis.
abstract: Bacillus anthracis, Brucella spp., and Yersinia pestis are zoonotic pathogens and biowarfare- or bioterrorism-associated agents that must be detected rapidly on-site from various samples (e.g., viscera and powders). An up-converting phosphor technology-based lateral flow (UPT-LF) strip was developed as a point-of-care testing (POCT) to satisfy the requirements of first-level emergency response. We developed UPT-LF POCT to quantitatively detect the three pathogens within 15 min. Sample and operation-error tolerances of the assay were comprehensively evaluated. The sensitivity of UPT-LF assay to bacterial detection reached 10(4) cfu · mL(-1) (100 cfu/test), with a linear quantitative range of 4 to 6 orders of magnitude. Results revealed that the UPT-LF assay exhibited a high specificity with the absence of false-positive results even at 10(9) cfu · mL(-1) of non-specific bacterial contamination. The assay could tolerate samples with a wide pH range (2 to 12), high ion strengths (≥ 4 mol · L(-1) of NaCl), high viscosities (≤ 25 mg · mL(-1) of PEG20000 or ≥ 20% of glycerol), and high concentrations of bio-macromolecule (≤ 200 mg · mL(-1) of bovine serum albumin or ≥ 80 mg · mL(-1) of casein). The influence of various types of powders and viscera (fresh and decomposed) on the performance of UPT-LF assay was determined. The operational error of liquid measurement exhibited few effects on sensitivity and specificity. The developed UPT-LF POCT assay is applicable under field conditions with excellent tolerance to sample complexity and operational error.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Analytical Microbiology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Pingping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Analytical Microbiology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China; School of Public Health and Management, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiao
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chengbin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Analytical Microbiology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Etiology, Taishan Medical University, Tai'an, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Laboratory, Chinese People's Liberation Army General Hospital, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Chunfeng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Analytical Microbiology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Ruifu
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Analytical Microbiology, State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhou
mesh_terms: D001408:Bacillus anthracis; D015374:Biosensing Techniques; D002002:Brucella; D006801:Humans; D008163:Luminescent Measurements / Q000379:methods*; D019095:Point-of-Care Systems; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013171:Spores, Bacterial; D015010:Yersinia pestis