Seafood contamination with Vibrio bacteria is a problem for aquaculture, especially with oysters, which are often consumed raw. Current methods for diagnosing bacterial pathogens in seafood involve lab-based assays such as polymerase chain reaction or culturing, which are time consuming and must occur in a centralized location. Detection of Vibrio in a point-of-care assay would be a significant tool for food safety control measures. We report here a paper immunoassay that can detect the presence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp) in buffer and oyster hemolymph. The test uses gold nanoparticles conjugated to polyclonal anti-Vibrio antibodies in a paper-based sandwich immunoassay. A sample is added to the strip and wicked through by capillary action. If Vp is present, it results in a visible color at the test area that can be read out by eyes or a standard mobile phone camera. The assay has a limit of detection of 6.05 × 10 5 cfu/mL and a cost estimate of $5 per test. Receiver operating characteristic curves with validated environmental samples showed a test sensitivity of 0.96 and a specificity of 1.00. Because the assay is inexpensive and can be used on Vp directly without the requirement for culturing, or sophisticated equipment, it has the potential to be used in fieldable settings.
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement urged institutions to redress shortcomings in their diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and initiatives. The School for the Environment (SFE) at the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston), a public research minority serving university in the United States of America, responded to this call through launching the Online Conversations for Equity, Action, and Networking (OCEAN) program. This pilot project funded by Woods Hole Sea Grant aimed to amplify the voices of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) in the marine sciences. A collective of SFE undergraduate and graduate students hosted virtual department seminars, undergraduate meet and greets, and podcast interviews for invited BIPOC speakers. Pre-and post-surveys were developed to evaluate the efficacy and reach of the OCEAN programming and the results indicate that the program had an overall positive effect on the UMass Boston community. Ultimately, the OCEAN program provides an example for launching and evaluating virtual BIPOC science engagement and outreach initiatives.
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