Improved Cholera Toxin Detection

J. Manuel Perez and colleagues note that cholera is an intestinal infection from food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae.
17/02/2011 Ámbito: América (Noticia leida 574 veces)

EWP.-With cholera on the rampage in Haiti and almost 40 other countries, scientists have reported the development of a key advancement that could provide a fast, simple test to detect the toxin which causes the disease. Details are published in the American Chemical Society’s journal Bioconjugate Chemistry.

Cholera affects more than 200,000 people annually, mainly in developing countries, and causes about 5,000 deaths. Many involve infants, children, and the elderly.

J. Manuel Perez and colleagues note that cholera is an intestinal infection from food or water contaminated with the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. It produces a toxin that can cause severe diarrhoea, which can lead to rapid dehydration and death. Prompt treatment is therefore essential, and yet existing tests to diagnose cholera are time-consuming, expensive and require the use of complex equipment.

The scientists describe a key advancement toward a better and faster test. The new method uses specially prepared nanoparticles of iron oxide, each barely 1/50,000th the width of a single human hair, coated with a type of sugar called dextran. To achieve this they looked for specific characteristics of the cholera toxin receptor (GM1) found on the surface of cells in the victim’s gut, and then introduced these features to their nanoparticles. When the magnetic nanoparticles are added to water, blood or other fluids to be tested, the cholera toxin binds to the nanoparticles in a way that can be easily detected by instruments.



The authors describe how the test hardware can be turned into portable gear which health care workers could use in the field. The approach also shows promise for treating cholera intoxication.