Verification of ELISA results by immunomagnetic isolation of antigens from extracts and analysis with SDS-PAGE and western blotting, demonstrated for Erwinia spp. in potatoes

Immunomagnetic separation of Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica from potato peel extracts to improve detection sensitivity on a crystal violet pectate medium or by PCR

Immunomagnetic separation (IMS) procedures for the selective separation of Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica from potato peel extract were optimized for the recovery of target and removal of non-target bacteria. A streptomycin-resistant strain of Erw. carotovora subsp. atroseptica was used in combination with a crystal violet pectate (CVP) medium supplemented with 100 micrograms ml-1 of streptomycin to determine the recovery level of the target bacterium. Recovery obtained with a polyclonal antiserum against Erw. carotovora subsp. atroseptica at a concentration of 6 micrograms IgG ml-1 was greater than that obtained with two monoclonal antibodies against lipopolysaccharides of Erw. carotovora subsp. atroseptica at a concentration of 10 micrograms IgG ml-1. A linear relationship was found between particle concentration ranging from 12 to 200 micrograms ml-1 and recovery level. When the Advanced Magnetics (AM) protein A and anti-rabbit IgG particles in the AM separation system and the Dynal anti-rabbit IgG particles in the Dynal separation system were examined, the highest recovery level per microgram of particles (66%) was obtained with the Advanced Magnetics protein A particles, followed by AM anti-rabbit particles (37%). Without IMS, detection of Erw. carotovora subsp. atroseptica in tuber peel extracts on a CVP-medium without streptomycin was impossible when the ratio of Erw. carotovora subsp. carotovora to Erw. carotovora subsp. atroseptica was greater than 100 or when large numbers of other saprophytic bacteria were present, because of overcrowding. IMS, using the AM anti-rabbit IgG particles, ensured that Erw. carotovora subsp. atroseptica could be enumerated in tuber peel extract consistently, to a detection level of 100 cells ml-1. Similarly, the IMS procedure lowered the detection level of Erw. carotovora subsp. atroseptica in a twofold diluted peel extract by PCR to ca 2.0 x 10(3) cells ml-1 or 50 cells per reaction tube. In contrast, positive results in PCR without IMS were obtained only when the peel extract was diluted 100 times and when the concentration of Erw. carotovora subsp. atroseptica was at least 10(5) cell ml-1.

Polymerase chain reaction for verification of fluorescent colonies of Erwinia chrysanthemi and Pseudomonas putida WCS358 in immunofluorescence colony staining

The potential of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for verifying the identity of colonies stained by the immunofluorescence colony-staining (IFC) procedure was investigated. Using primers directed against conserved sequences of the pectate lyase-genes coding for isozymes PLa, PLd and PLe of Erwinia chrysanthemi, the authors confirmed the identity of 96% of 20 fluorescent target colonies, punched from IFC-stained samples with pure cultures. In pour plates with mixtures of Erw. chrysanthemi and non-target colonies from potato peel extracts, the identity of 90% of 113 target colonies was confirmed. Using primers directed against sequences of the ferric-pseudobactin receptor gene pupA of Pseudomonas putida WCS358, the identity of 96% of 22 target colonies was confirmed in IFC-stained samples with pure cultures. In pour plates with mixtures of Ps. putida WCS358 and non-target bacteria from compost extracts, the identity of 59% of 108 fluorescent colonies was confirmed by PCR. It was shown that components from non-target bacteria lowered the threshold level of PCR for Ps. putida WCS358 100-fold.