Journal of Applied Animal Research

A simple dot-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (dot-ELISA) using nitrocellulose membrane as solid support was developed for detection of Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) viral antigen in caprine and ovine clinical materials. A dot of 5 ml of tissue suspension (10%, w/v) of clinical samples was applied on the nitrocellulose paper strip to enable PPR viral antigen to bind and then incubated with purified primary PPR virus specific anti-nucleocapsid-protein monoclonal antibody. The antigen-antibody reaction was detected with horse raddish peroxidase-conjugated secondary anti-mouse immunoglobulin G and the enzyme substrate, 4-choloro-1-naphthol. The blue colour dots were visually assessed and scored. This test was compared for its relative diagnostic sensitivity (82%) and specificity (91%) with routinely used sandwich-ELISA (s-ELISA) for the diagnosis of PPR. Dot-ELISA could serve as simple, easy to perform diagnostic field test to screen clinical samples from suspected goats and sheep for PPR diagnosis.