Piezoelectric Biosensor for a Simple Serological Diagnosis of Tularemia in Infected European Brown Hares (Lepus europaeus)

Piezoelectric biosensor was used for diagnosis of infection by Francisella tularensis subsp. holarctica in European brown hares. Two kinds of experiments were performed in this study. First, sera from experimentally infected European brown hares (Lepus europaeus) were assayed by piezoelectric biosensor and the seventh day post infection was found as the first one when statistically significant diagnosis of tularemia was possible; all other sera collected from hares later than on day 7 following the infection were found tularemia positive. Typing to classify the field strain of F. tularensis used for the experimental infection was confirmed by proteome study. Second, sera from 35 European brown hare specimens sampled at hunting grounds and tested as tularemia positive by slow agglutination allowed diagnosis of tularemia by the piezoelectric biosensor. All these sera of naturally infected hares were found as tularemia positive, too. Efficacy of the piezoelectric biosensor for the serological diagnosis of tularemia is discussed.