ELISA for Detection of Rhizopus oryzae Fucomannan

Abstract

Mucormycosis is an invasive fungal infection that can cause severe morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients. Patients at risk for Mucormycosis include those with hematopoietic stem cell or, organ transplants, patients with hematological malignancies, diabetes mellitus, trauma, and infants with low birth weight. There are currently no point of care diagnostic tests for Mucormycosis. Since time is one of the most important factors when it comes to treating Mucormycosis, a point of care diagnostic is needed. During a Mucormycosis infection, Fucomannan (FM) is secreted into blood, urine, serum and BALF. The Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) platform was used to detect a small quantity of FM by optimizing various components of the ELISA platform. By optimizing the amount of primary antibody, secondary antibody, blocking buffer, and the detector a smaller amount of FM was detected. The sensitivity from previous ELISA's has increased due to the optimization of the assay platform.