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<p>The objective of this proof-of-concept study is to develop and trial a dipstick-like test strip onto which a few drops of diluted sample can be spotted for quick, easy, inexpensive and on-farm detection of Campylobacter spp in chicken .</p>
<p>The approach will be first to develop an immunoassay capable of quickly detecting pathogenic Campylobacter spp in chicken faeces in a 96-well microtitre plate using available antibodies and then to port this assay onto a membrane platform to create prototype lateral flow test strips.</p>
<p>A batch of optimised prototype test strips will then be manufactured for field testing and for characterisation of basic assay parameters.</p>
<p>It is anticipated the outputs from this study will be a campylobacter detection test strip that has been field tested and 'productised' into a kit form (i.e., containing all the necessary accessories and instructions).</p>
<p>Background: There is currently no available inexpensive rapid test for campylobacter that can be used on farm.</p>
<p>Lateral flow test strips can be constructed employing a standard sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This is not a difficult assay to construct as long as optimal reagents are selected. Performance of the assay simply involves applying a few drops of diluted sample onto a sample application area and then allowing the assay to proceed until a result is seen by the appearance of one or two coloured bands.</p>
<p>A positive result will demonstrate two coloured bands (one in the test zone and one in the control zone) and a negative result will show a coloured band in the control zone only. The intensity of the coloured band in the test zone is an indication of the concentration of campylobacter in the original sample. Therefore, if a reference scoring card can be created it can be used to interpret the intensity of the positive band in an unknown test sample in terms of organisms per ml (or gram). </p>