The overall objective of the project is to fulfill all requirements for the market launch of a lateral flow assay (LFA) for the reliable diagnosis of American Foulbrood (AFB) and European Foulbrood (EFB) in honey bees. The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is, due to its pollination performance, the third most important livestock animal in Germany after cattle and pigs. AFB and EFB are brood diseases of bees, for which early diagnosis is crucial for effective control. To achieve this, we developed, in previous projects, an antibody-based rapid test (lateral flow device = LFA) for the detection of both brood diseases, including genotype differentiation for the AFB pathogen. In the next steps toward a validated test, the LFA prototypes must undergo a production transfer. This includes adapting the manufacturing processes at the industrial partner, transferring the antibodies from a research institute to an antibody-producing manufacturer, and the final validation of the product.

Project participants from FLI: 

PD Dr. Robert Kammerer
Dr. Marc Schäfer
Dr. Sandra Ehrenberg