19.2G: The Rapid Identification of Microorganisms
- Page ID
- 5976
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)The Need
- diagnosis of infection so that the appropriate treatment (e.g., an antibiotic) can be started.
- testing of food to ensure that it is not contaminated with infectious organisms like E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica
- to identify the biological agent such as anthrax and smallpox in a possible terrorist attack so that appropriate measures can be taken quickly
Methods
Culturing
- The oldest and still most common.
- For bacteria, spread samples on culture media and examine the resulting colonies for morphology and metabolic traits. For viruses, inoculate cultures of living cells.
- Disadvantage: it make take several days to learn the results.
Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
- Extract DNA from the sample and perform PCR.
- Advantage: rapid (often less than an hour)
- Disadvantage: overly sensitive to presence of contaminants
Immunoassays
Use a method that exploits the specificity and sensitivity of the reaction between antigen and antibodies. Takes 15 minutes or longer.
Biosensors (CANARY)
In the 11 July 2003 issue of Science, a team of scientists at the Lincoln Laboratory in the U. S. reported a new method of rapid identification that exploits living cells. They call their method CANARY (for Cellular Analysis and Notification of Antigen Risks and Yields)
Their "biosensor" is a clone of B lymphocytes (B cells) that have been genetically engineered to express
- a B cell receptor for antigen (BCR) selected to interact with an epitope on the suspected agent. The BCR on their clones is surface IgM.
- aequorin, a protein extracted from the same jellyfish that produces green fluorescent protein.
- Aequorin emits light when it is exposed to calcium ions (Ca2+).
- One of the first events (within seconds) when BCRs bind to antigen is a rise in the level of calcium ions in the cytosol.
Procedure:
- Prepare the sample.
- Mix - in separate wells - with B-cell clones each specific for a different suspected agent.
- Place in a sensitive light detector.
- If a clone has a BCR for an epitope present in the sample, that clone will emit light within a few seconds.
Results:
- highly sensitive: can detect as few as 50 bacteria or 500 virions
- highly specific: can detect the agent even in the presence of related contaminating agents.
- fast: time elapsed from sample preparation to signal from the light detector is often less than 5 minutes.