[X1ANNEX I U.K. UNGULATES

PART 6 U.K. Protocols for the standardisation of materials and testing procedures (referred to in Article 5)

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) U.K.

C. The detection and quantification of antibody by ELISA shall be carried out according to the following protocol: U.K.

Reagents

:

Rabbit antisera to 146S antigen of seven types of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) used at a predetermined optimum concentration in carbonate/bicarbonate buffer, pH 9,6. Antigens are prepared from selected strains of virus grown on monolayers of BHK-21 cells. The unpurified supernatants are used and pretitrated according to the protocol but without serum, to give a dilution which after the addition of an equal volume of PBST (phosphate buffered saline containing 0,05 % Tween-20 and phenol red indicator) would give an optical density reading of between 1,2 and 1,5. The viruses can be used inactivated. PBST is used as a diluent. Guinea-pig antisera are prepared by inoculating guinea pigs with 146S antigen of each serotype. A predetermined optimum concentration is prepared in PBST containing 10 % normal bovine serum and 5 % normal rabbit serum. Rabbit anti-guinea-pig immunoglobulin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase is used at a predetermined optimum concentration in PBST containing 10 % normal bovine serum and 5 % normal rabbit serum. Test sera are diluted in PBST.

Procedure: U.K.
1.

ELISA plates are coated with 50 μl of rabbit antiviral sera overnight in a humidity chamber at room temperature.

2.

Fifty microlitres of a duplicate, twofold series of each test serum starting at 1/4 are prepared in U-bottomed multiwell plates (carrier plates). Fifty microlitres of a constant dose of antigen are added to each well and the mixtures are left overnight at 4 °C. The addition of the antigen reduces the starting serum dilution to 1/8.

3.

The ELISA plates are washed five times with PBST.

4.

Fifty microlitres of serum/antigen mixtures are then transferred from the carrier plates to the rabbit-serum-coated ELISA plates and incubated at 37 °C for one hour on a rotary shaker.

5.

After washing, 50 μl of guinea-pig antiserum to the antigen used in point 4 is added to each well. The plates are incubated at 37 °C for one hour a rotary shaker.

6.

The plates are washed and 50 μl of rabbit anti-guinea-pig immunoglobulin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase is added to each well. The plates are incubated at 37 °C for one hour on a rotary shaker.

7.

The plates are washed and 50 μl of orthophenylene diamine containing 0,05 % H 2 O 2 (30 %) w/v is added to each well.

8.

The reaction is stopped after 15 minutes with 1,25M H 2 SO 4 .

The plates are read spectrophotometrically at 492 nm on an ELISA reader linked to a microcomputer.

Controls

:

For each antigen used 40 wells contain no serum but contain antigen diluted in PBST. A duplicated twofold dilution series of homologous bovine reference antiserum. A duplicate twofold dilution series of negative bovine serum.

Interpretation

:

Antibody titres are expressed as the final dilution of tests serum giving 50 % of the mean OD value recorded in the virus control wells where test serum is absent. Titres in excess of 1/40 are considered positive.

References

:

Hamblin C, Barnett ITR and Hedger RS (1986) ‘ A new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of antibodies against foot-and-mouth disease virus. I. Development and method of ELISA. ’ Journal of Immunological Methods, 93, 115 to 121.11. ]