New-Generation Platform Enables Serologic Screening for Pathogens

A new-generation system platform delivers the high throughput necessary for food safety monitoring in meat production. The system enables label-free, serologic screening of pathogens at the herd level.

The first in the range of assay kits to be introduced is Biacore (Uppsala, Sweden) HerdSense Swine Trichinella assay and the Biacore HerdSense Swine Salmonella assay. These assays are based on the monitoring of specific antibodies against Trichinella and the serotypes B, C1, and D of Salmonella in serum collected from pigs at slaughterhouses.

The new platform was developed by the Biacore Food Analysis division of GE Healthcare (Chalfont St. Giles, UK). The automated, high-throughput system is capable of handling over 3,500 samples per week. Unattended, multi-sample analysis can be realized within minutes; one 96-well microplate can be processed per hour. Sample-preparation has been minimized, with no labeling or tagging required.

Trichinellosis is a notifiable disease. Traditionally, at slaughter, every pig is tested via artificial digestion methods and microscopy for the presence of Trichinella larvae, before the issuing of health certification. This is a labor-intensive and costly method. New European Union (EU) legislation on Trichinella control provided the green light for serologic testing as an alternative monitoring tool for certified Trichinella-free herds, regions or countries. Biacore Q100 system was developed primarily to assist producers in the drive to achieve rapid and reliable risk-based population monitoring of certified Trichinella-free herds.

Approximately 25% of all food-related human salmonellosis cases are associated with the consumption of pork. For this reason, high priority is given to monitoring of the pork production chain. The information generated is used to assign farms a status in accordance with the level of Salmonella detected. The Biacore HerdSense Swine Salmonella assay is intended for monitoring the prevalence of Salmonella in pig herds. Extensive third-party validation has demonstrated that the Biacore assay compared extremely favorably with enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay (ELISA), the traditional serologic method.

Officially showing disease-free status is a major economic bonus to manufacturers, at both local and national levels.


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