VIRAL DIAGNOSTIC KIT FOR USE IN THE FIELD

A DOT-IMMUNOBINDING ASSAY (DIA) FOR THE DETECTION OF VIRAL ANTIBODY AS WELL AS ANTIGENS HAS RECENTLY BEEN DESCRIBED. THE SIMPLICITY OF THE PROCEDURE, WHICH IS ALSO RAPID, SPECIFIC, SENSITIVE, AND INEXPENSIVE, LENDS ITSELF TO COMMERCIALIZATION AS A KIT FOR USE IN AN UNSOPHISTICATED LABORATORY OR IN THE FIELD. THE INITIAL SPECIFIC AIM OF THIS STUDY IS TO PROVIDE A VIRALDIAGNOSTIC KIT TO SCREEN OR MONITOR NONHUMAN PRIMATES IN THEFIELD OR AT FACILITIES WITHOUT VIRAL LABORATORY SUPPORT FOR ANTIBODY TO: B VIRUS, SIV, SRV-1, SRV-2, AND SRV-5. A KIT TO DETECT ANTIBODY TO A SINGLE ANTIGEN (E.G., B VIRUS) WILL ALSO BE PREPARED. FOR AFRICAN MONKEYS, SA8 WILL BE SUBSTITUTED FOR B VIRUS. THIS KIT WILL REQUIRE NOT LABORATORY EQUIPMENT OTHER THAN WHAT IS PROVIDED. ANTIBODY WILL BE DETECTED IN WHOLE BLOOD, THUS ELIMINATING THE NEED FOR SERUM (UNLESS SERUM IS DESIRED FOR OTHER PURPOSES, WHICH WILL REQUIRE THE USE OF A SYRINGE). THE ENTIRE PROCEDURE IN THE FIELD WILL TAKE ABOUT1 HOUR TO COMPLETE (TECHNICAL TIME ABOUT 15 MINUTES). APPROXIMATELY 500 ANIMALS WILL BE TESTED, INCLUDING AFRICAN AND ASIAN SPECIES AS WELL AS A FIELD STUDY OF 100 TO 200 ANIMALS. THE LONG-TERM OBJECTIVES OF THIS STUDY ARE TO DETERMINE VARIOUS PARAMETERS SUCH AS OTHER ANTIGENS (INCLUDING RECOMBINANT ANTIGENS), USE OF MATRICES OTHER THAN NITROCELLULOSE, OTHER SUBSTRATES, DETECTION OF ANTIGEN IN SITU, DETECTION OF IGM, AND USE IN HUMAN DIAGNOSIS.