Development and evaluation of a diagnostic cytokine-release assay for Mycobacterium suricattae infection in meerkats (Suricata suricatta)

BMC Veterinary Research

Research Article

Paul David van Helden¹  Charlene Clarke¹  Sven David Charles Parsons¹  Michele Ann Miller¹  Stuart James Patterson²  Julian Ashley Drewe² 

[1] SAMRC Centre for TB Research; DST/NRF Centre of Excellence for Biomedical Tuberculosis Research; Division of Molecular Biology and Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa;Veterinary Epidemiology, Economics and Public Health Group, Royal Veterinary College, Hawkshead Lane, North Mymms, AL9 7TA, Hertfordshire, UK;

关键词: Cytokine;    Diagnosis;    IP-10;    Meerkat;    Mycobacterium suricattae;    Tuberculosis;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12917-016-0927-x

 received in 2016-05-14, accepted in 2016-12-15,  发布年份 2017

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundSensitive diagnostic tools are necessary for the detection of Mycobacterium suricattae infection in meerkats (Suricata suricatta) in order to more clearly understand the epidemiology of tuberculosis and the ecological consequences of the disease in this species. We therefore aimed to develop a cytokine release assay to measure antigen-specific cell-mediated immune responses of meerkats.ResultsEnzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were evaluated for the detection of interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) and IFN-γ inducible protein 10 (IP-10) in meerkat plasma. An IP-10 ELISA was selected to measure the release of this cytokine in whole blood in response to Bovigam® PC-HP Stimulating Antigen, a commercial peptide pool of M. bovis antigens. Using this protocol, captive meerkats with no known M. suricattae exposure (n = 10) were tested and results were used to define a diagnostic cut off value (mean plus 2 standard deviations). This IP-10 release assay (IPRA) was then evaluated in free-living meerkats with known M. suricattae exposure, categorized as having either a low, moderate or high risk of infection with this pathogen. In each category, respectively, 24.7%, 27.3% and 82.4% of animals tested IPRA-positive. The odds of an animal testing positive was 14.0 times greater for animals with a high risk of M. suricattae infection compared to animals with a low risk.ConclusionThese results support the use of this assay as a measure of M. suricattae exposure in meerkat populations. Ongoing longitudinal studies aim to evaluate the value of the IPRA as a diagnostic test of M. suricattae infection in individual animals.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2017