Contagious bovine pleuropneumonia (CBPP) is a devastating disease of livestock, especially in the developing world and for small shareholder farmers. Few diagnostic systems exist for identifying Mycoplasma mycoides mycoides (Mmm)�the etiological agent of CBPP�and those available are expensive, slow, have low specificity, and require specialized training that is not always available in a resource-limited setting. To address these needs, we have developed MycoChip: a portable CBPP diagnostic system based on de-gas driven plastic microfluidic cartridges. MycoChip provides an inexpensive and easy-to-use alternative by incorporating a highly specific isothermal recombinase polymerase assay that is capable of rapidly detecting pathogens at the point-of-care where resources (e.g. electricity) and technical training may be limited or non-existent. Cartridges are pre-loaded with lyophilized biological reagents, vacuum-sealed in a Mylar bag, and distributed to users (dimensions of the cartridge are approximately 2.5 cm x 2.5 cm x 5 mm). Users collect a bovine sample, add a reagent to lyse cells, and use the sipper tube connected to the MycoChip to draw up a small sample (typically a few microliters), which is then parsed into the assay chambers. We demonstrated the utility of this system in detecting members of the Mycoplasma mycoides cluster, including Mmm at titers <1000 cells/mL within 60 min. The integration of a smartphone-based incubation/detection system for simplifying Mmm detection is a key step in delivering MycoChips to the point-of-care and is currently underway.

Microfluidic system for rapid detection of contagious bovine pleuropneumonia at the point-of-care

247th National Meeting (2014)

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