Title: Immunodetection and quantification of airborne (1-3)-β-D-glucan-carrying particles with the halogen immunoassay.

Authors: Rivera-Mariani, Félix E; Mihalic, Jana N; Rule, Ana M; Breysse, Patrick N

Published In J Immunol Methods, (2013 Feb 28)

Abstract: Fungal cell wall components, such as (1-3)-β-D-glucan, are known to be capable of activating the innate immune system and pose a respiratory health risk in different environments. Mass-based non-viable techniques commonly used for assessment of fungal exposures could be β-D-glucan-specific, but are limited to analysis of liquid extracts. The variable solubility of different β-D-glucans may underestimate β-D-glucan exposure and long sampling times required for mass-based methods make assessing short-term exposures difficult. In this study, we evaluated the utility of the halogen immunoassay (HIA), an immunoblotting technique previously used for allergens, to immunodetect and quantify β-D-glucan-carrying particles (BGCPs). The HIA was able to detect BGCPs without background staining when β-D-glucan standards and air samples collected at a poultry house during short sampling periods were evaluated. The image analysis protocol previously developed by our group for mouse allergen allowed simultaneous immunodetection and quantification of β-D-glucan-containing particles. Our results suggest that the HIA holds promise for quantifying β-D-glucan exposures. To our knowledge, this is the first time in which the HIA was used for non-allergenic compounds of microbial or fungal origins.

PubMed ID: 23201385

MeSH Terms: Air Microbiology*; Air Pollution, Indoor/analysis*; Environmental Monitoring/methods*; Immunoassay/methods*; Limit of Detection; beta-Glucans/analysis*