DEVICE, KIT AND METHOD FOR HOOKWORM ANTIGEN CAPTURE AND DETECTION

• US 20080311557A1
• Filed: 06/15/2007
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IDEXX Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: IDEXX Laboratories Incorporated
• Inventors: Flynn, Laurie A., Elsemore, David Allen
• Granted Patent: US 9,063,129 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 435/5
• CPC Class Codes: G01N 33/5308 for analytes not provided for elsewhere, e.g. nucleic acids, uric acid, worms, mites

Abstract

A device, kit and method for detecting the presence or absence of hookworm antigens. The device, kit and method of the present invention may be used to confirm the presence or absence of hookworm in a fecal sample that may be infected with one or more of roundworm, whipworm, tapeworm and heartworm, and whether or not hookworm ova are present in the sample. Further, the device, kit and method of the present invention may be used to confirm the presence or absence of hookworm in a fecal sample excreted by a canine animal as early as nine days after the animal first becomes infected with hookworm.

Claims

1. A device for testing a sample of a mammal for the purpose of determining whether the mammal is infected with hookworm, comprising a solid support, wherein one or more antibodies raised against hookworm ASP5 are immobilized on the solid support in a manner that is sufficient to enable the capture of one or more hookworm antigens present in the sample for detection thereof.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the sample is a fecal sample.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the one or more antibodies are polyclonal.

4. The device of claim 2 wherein the fecal sample is substantially free of hookworm ova, and the fecal sample is excreted by the mammal after the mammal is infected with hookworm.

5. The device of claim 2 wherein the fecal sample is excreted by the mammal no more than 13 days after the mammal has become infected with hookworm.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the one or more antibodies raised against hookworm ASP5 are not specific for any coproantigen derived from the group consisting of roundworm, whipworm, tapeworm and heartworm.

7. The device of claim 1 wherein one or more of the one or more antibodies are labeled.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein the device is an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay device.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein the device is a lateral flow immunoassay device.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein the device further includes one or more reagents for the detection of one or more of the group consisting of:

one or more non-hookworm worm parasites, one or more non-worm parasites, one or more viruses, and one or more bacteria.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the hookworm is of the genus Ancylostoma.

12. The device of claim 11 wherein the hookworm is Ancylostoma caninum.

28. A kit for detection of one or more hookworm coproantigens in a sample of a mammal, the kit comprising the device of any one of claims 1-12, and one or more reagents sufficient for the detection of the one or more antigens.

29. The kit of claim 28 wherein the one or more reagents are selected from the group consisting of one or more indicator reagents, one or more antibody labeling compounds, one or more antibodies, one or more antigen capture reagents, one or more inhibitors, and one or more wash reagents.

13. A method of detecting the presence or absence of hookworm in a sample of a mammal comprising:

a. contacting the sample with one or more antibodies specific for ASP5; and

b. detecting the presence or absence of one or more hookworm antigens or one or more hookworm antibody/antigen complexes.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the sample is a fecal sample.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the one or more antibodies are polyclonal.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the mammal is a canine.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein the fecal sample is substantially free of hookworm ova, and the fecal sample is excreted by the mammal after the mammal is infected with hookworm.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the fecal sample is excreted by the mammal no more than 13 days after the mammal has become infected with hookworm.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the one or more antibodies specific for ASP5 are not capable of detecting any coproantigen derived from the group consisting of roundworm, whipworm, tapeworm and heartworm.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein the detecting the presence or absence of one or more antibody/antigen complexes includes the step of providing a secondary antibody that binds to the one or more antibody/antigen complexes.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the secondary antibody is labeled.

22. The method of claim 13 wherein one or more of the one or more antibodies are labeled.

23. The method of claim 13 wherein the one or more antibodies are immobilized on a solid support.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the solid support forms part of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay device.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay device is a lateral flow immunoassay device.

26. The method of claim 13 further comprising the step of applying the sample to one or more reagents to detect one or more of the group consisting of:

one or more non-hookworm worm parasites, one or more non-worm parasites, one or more viruses, and one or more bacteria.

27. The method of claim 26 wherein the reagents for the detection of any one or all of the one or more non-hookworm worm parasites, the one or more non-worm parasites, the one or more viruses and the one or more bacteria are one or more antibodies or one or more antigens recognized by antibodies specific for the one or more non-hookworm worm parasites, the one or more non-worm parasites, the one or more viruses or the one or more bacteria.