Development and evaluation of a rapid, simple, sensitive, monoclonal antibody-based co-agglutination test for direct detection of Vibrio cholerae 01

Cholera epidemics caused by Vibrio cholerae</it> 01 continue to represent a major public health concern in many developing countries. A rapid and simple test kit for the detection of V. cholerae</it> 01 has been developed. The kit, CholeraScreenTM is a monoclonal antibody-based, co-agglutination test and is used directly with stool specimens. It does not include culturing the specimen and is performed without the need for sophisticated laboratory equipment. Specificity of the test was demonstrated, using 118 reference cultures, to which cross-reactions were not observed. Preliminary results of field trials carried out in Guatemala and Bangladesh demonstrated that the test is equally sensitive as conventional culture methods in detecting V. cholerae</it> and, in many cases, more sensitive. The CholeraScreenTM test is simple, specific, and does not require culturing procedures, making it suitable for direct detection of cells of V. cholerae</it> in clinical specimens, even in the field. Also, the test requires less than five minutes to complete.