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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Pullman, Washington » Animal Disease Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #329514
Title: Insulator-based dielectrophoretic diagnostic tool for Babesiosis

Author
item ADEKANMBI, EZEKIEL - University Of Idaho
item Ueti, Massaro
item RINALDI, BRADY - University Of Idaho
item Suarez, Carlos
item SRIVASTAVA, SOUMYA - University Of Idaho

Submitted to: Biomicrofluidics
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/7/2016
Publication Date: 6/17/2016
Citation: Adekanmbi, E.O., Ueti, M.W., Rinaldi, B., Suarez, C.E., Srivastava, S.K. 2016. Insulator-based dielectrophoretic diagnostic tool for Babesiosis. Biomicrofluidics. doi: 10.1063/1.4954196.

Interpretive Summary: Babesia are obligate intraerythrocytic protozoan parasites that are the etiologic agents of babesiosis, a potentially life-threatening, malaria-like illness in humans and animals. Human babesiosis accounts for almost all of the 38% mortality cases observed in transfusion recipients. In this study a low-cost, high-specificity, quick, and easy-to-use insulator-based dielectrophoretic diagnostic tool was developed for characterizing and concentrating infected erythrocytes with Babesia. A mixture of Babesia infected and healthy erythrocytes was exposed to non-uniform electric fields in a fabricated microfluidic platform to manipulate and sort the Babesia infected cells. At DC voltage configurations of 10V and 0/6V in the inlet and the two outlet channels, the infected cells with Babesia were seen to flow in a direction different from the healthy erythrocytes. Bright field and fluorescence microscopy were utilized to present qualitative differentiation of the healthy erythrocytes from the infected cells. The proposed micro device platform was able to enrich erythrocytes from an average of 7 to 70% parasitemia.

Technical Abstract: Babesia species are obligate intraerythrocytic tick-borne protozoan parasites that are the etiologic agents of Babesiosis, a potentially life-threatening, malaria-like illness in humans and animals. Babesia-infected people have been known to suffer from complications including liver problems, severe hemolytic anemia and kidney failure. As reported by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), human Babesiosis accounts for almost all of the 38% mortality cases observed in transfusion recipients. As of now, no tests have been licensed yet for screening blood donors for Babesiosis. Current diagnostic tools for Babesiosis including Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization (FISH), Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) are expensive and burdened with multifarious shortcomings. In this research, a low-cost, high-specificity, quick, and easy-to-use insulator-based dielectrophoretic diagnostic tool is developed for characterizing and concentrating Babesia-infected cells in their homogenous mixture with healthy cell population. In this work, a mixture of Babesia-infected (varying parasitemia) and healthy red blood cells (RBCs or erythrocytes) was exposed to non-uniform electric fields in a fabricated microfluidic platform to manipulate and sort the Babesia-infected cells within a minute. At DC voltage configurations of 10V and 0/6V in the inlet and the two outlet channels respectively, the diseased cells were seen to flow in a direction different from the healthy RBCs. Bright field and fluorescence microscopy were utilized to present qualitative differentiation of the healthy erythrocytes from the infected cells. The proposed micro device platform was able to enrich RBCs from an average of 7 to 70 PPE. This device, when finally developed into a point-of-care diagnostic chip, would enhance the detection of Babesia-infected erythrocytes and as well serve as a precursor to Babesiosis vaccine development.