Georgia Veterinary Scholars Program at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine

The University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine

2005 Georgia Veterinary Scholars

Georgia Veterinary Scholar	Faculty Mentor

Shannon Parfitt University of Georgia Class of 2007	Dr. Cory Brown

The use of anti-peptide antibodies to detect Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli by immunohistochemistry.

Shannon Parfitt*, Kelli Hiett, Bruce Seal, and Corrie Brown. Department of Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia.

Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are common causes of gastroenteritis in humans. Campylobacter is highly prevalent in poultry, and for this reason it is critical to develop an effective method for detection of this pathogen. In this study, we tested the efficacy of three affinity purified anti-peptide antibodies, all highly specific for C. jejuni. The three antibodies tested were 2 major outer membrane protein antibodies (MOMP1 GN-14277/14278 and MOMP1 GN-14279) and a flagellin protein (Fla A GN- 14276). The antibodies were tested in a standard immunohistochemistry format using three control samples of chicken breast meat: one inoculated with a slurry of ATCC33559 C. jejuni, another inoculated with a slurry of ATCC 33560 C. coli, and a third which was inoculated with PBS. Once sensitivity and specificity are established, the antibodies will be used to detect sites of colonization of Campylobacter in chicken intestines.