DETECTION METHOD
A method for detecting the presence of a diagnostic moiety indicative of exposure to an infectious organism in a biological sample taken from a human or animal, said method comprising; (a) adding to said sample a first fluorescently labelled reagent which binds said diagnostic moiety, and a second fluorescently labelled reagent which either binds said diagnostic moiety in addition to said first fluorescently labelled reagent, or which binds the first fluorescently labelled reagent or a complex comprising the first fluorescently labelled reagent in competition to the said diagnostic moiety, wherein a label on one of the first or second fluorescently labelled reagent acts as a fluorescent energy donor compound and wherein the other of the first or second fluorescently labelled reagent acts as a fluorescent energy acceptor compound which is able to accept fluorescent energy from said donor compound; (b) exciting the fluorescent energy donor compound by illuminating with light of a wavelength which is absorbed by said fluorescent energy donor compound; (c) measuring fluorescent signal emitted by said fluorescent energy acceptor compound as a result of its absorption of the fluorescent energy from the donor compound after a time delay; and (d) relating the results to the presence or absence of diagnostic moiety in said sample.
1 . A method for detecting the presence of a diagnostic moiety indicative of exposure to an infectious organism in a biological sample taken from a human or animal, said method comprising;
a) adding to said sample a first fluorescently labelled reagent which binds said diagnostic moiety, and a second fluorescently labelled reagent which either binds said diagnostic moiety in addition to said first fluorescently labelled reagent, or which binds the first fluorescently labelled reagent or a complex comprising the first fluorescently labelled reagent in competition to the said diagnostic moiety, wherein a label on one of the first or second fluorescently labelled reagents acts as a fluorescent energy donor compound and wherein the other of the first or second fluorescently labelled reagent acts as a fluorescent energy acceptor compound which is able to accept fluorescent energy from said donor compound;
b) exciting the fluorescent energy donor compound by illuminating with light of a wavelength which is absorbed by said fluorescent energy donor compound;
c) measuring fluorescent signal emitted by said fluorescent energy acceptor compound as a result of its absorption of the fluorescent energy from the donor compound after a time delay; and
d) relating the results to the presence or absence of diagnostic moiety in said sample.
2 . The method of claim 1 wherein the second fluorescently labelled reagent binds the first fluorescently labelled reagent in competition to the said diagnostic moiety, and wherein a reduction in the fluorescent signal measured in step (c) is indicative of the presence of diagnostic moiety in the sample.
3 . The method of claim 1 wherein the second fluorescently labelled reagent binds a complex comprising the first fluorescently labelled reagent and a substrate in competition to the said diagnostic moiety, and wherein the absence or substantial absence of a fluorescent signal measured in step (c) is indicative of the presence of diagnostic moiety in the sample.
4 . The method of claim 1 wherein the second fluorescently labelled reagent binds said diagnostic moiety in addition to said first fluorescently labelled reagent, and wherein the increase or substantial increase of a fluorescent signal measured in step (c) is indicative of the presence of diagnostic moiety in the sample.
5 . The method of claim 1 wherein the fluorescent signal from the fluorescent energy donor compound is also measured and the ratio of the two signals is used to determine the presence or absence of diagnostic moiety in the sample.
6 . The method of claim 1 wherein the diagnostic moiety is an infectious organism, an antigen of an infectious organism, or an antibody to an antigen of an infectious organism.
7 . The method of claim 1 wherein the infectious organism is a bacteria, virus, fungi, protozoan or multicellular organism.
8 . The method of claim 7 wherein the infectious organism is a bacteria and wherein one of the first or second fluorescently labelled reagents is a bacterial glycoconjugate.
9 . The method of claim 7 wherein the infectious organism is a Brucella species.
10 . The method of claim 9 wherein the one of the first or second fluorescently labelled reagents is an LPS antigen of a Brucella species, and the other is an antibody which binds said antigen.
11 . The method of claim 10 wherein the antigen is an O-antigen of Brucella.
12 . The method of claim 7 wherein the infectious organism is a virus and wherein one of the first or second fluorescently labelled regents is a viral protein antigen.
13 . The method of claim 7 wherein the infectious organism is Bovine Viral Diarrhoea virus.
14 . The method of claim 13 wherein one of the first or second fluorescently labelled reagents is a viral protein antigen of Bovine Viral Diarrhoea virus, and the other is an antibody which binds said antigen.
15 . The method of claim 1 wherein the fluorescent energy donor compound is a lanthanide.
16 . The method of claim 1 wherein the fluorescent energy donor compound is a terbium lanthanide chelate, and the fluorescent energy acceptor compound is fluorescein or a derivative thereof.
17 . The method of claim 1 wherein the fluorescent energy donor compound is a europium lanthanide chelate and the fluorescent energy acceptor compound is Cy5, allophycocyanin (APC) or an Alexa Fluor dye.
18 . The method of claim 1 wherein the biological sample is a blood, serum, plasma, milk, urine, mucous, cerebrospinal fluid, faecal or a tissue biopsy sample.
19 . The method of claim 1 which is carried out on multiple samples simultaneously in separate reaction wells.
20 . A kit for detecting the presence of a diagnostic moiety, said kit comprising a first fluorescently labelled reagent which binds a moiety diagnostic of disease caused by an infectious organism and a second fluorescently labelled reagent which either binds said diagnostic moiety in addition to said first fluorescently labelled reagent, or which binds the first fluorescently labelled reagent or a complex comprising the first fluorescently labelled reagent in competition to the said diagnostic moiety, wherein a label on one of the first or second fluorescently labelled reagent acts as a fluorescent energy donor compound and wherein the other of the first or second fluorescently labelled reagent acts as a fluorescent energy acceptor compound which is able to accept fluorescent energy from said donor compound, and wherein said donor compound is able to emit fluorescent energy for a prolonged period of time.
21 . The kit of claim 20 wherein the first and second labelled reagents are together in a single composition.