Rapid Detection of Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease) from Ticks

VecTOR Test Systems, Inc. will develop assay for rapid detection of the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia burgdorferi in ticks in a field setting. In Phase I prototype assays to detect Borrelia burgdorferi were developed that met Phase I objectives. The development work will continue in Phase II in which the assay with the required sensitivity and specificity will be completed and evaluated in the laboratory. The overall objective is to develop product/s that will quickly and accurately determine whether ticks collected by preventive medicine units in the field are infected with medically relevant pathogens in order to minimize the impact of the disease on operational capabilities. The technology is based on the simple and reliable immuno-chromatographic detection method by which sensitive test-strip based assays provide results in less than 30 minutes. The proposed assays will be easy to perform and results easy to interpret requiring limited resources. The assay will be an important addition to our range of vector test products that detect the pathogens in the vectoring arthropods. The developed assay will be made available in a kit with components required to perform the assay. The assay kit will be stable at ambient storage conditions.