Introduction:

Ricin is a powerful toxin wich has gained importance due to its potential use as biological weapon, essentially in powder form. The development of methods that promote a rapid detection after the toxin exposure will allow us to reduce its associated rates of both mobility and mortality. In the face of biological threat with samples suspected of containing ricin, the Biological-Alert-Laboratory-Network (RELAB), which is a scientific-technical infrastructure created by the Order of the Ministry of the Presidency PRE/305/2009, authorizes the shipment of this type of samples to the National Institute of Aerospace Technique (INTA), one of the Reference Laboratory belonging to this Network.

Aim:

Development of one protocol to detect ricin based on both an immunological assay and a protein analysis focused to reduce noticeably the response time of the laboratory.

Material and Methods:

The Immunological diagnosis of ricin uses in house antibodies combined in an ELISA sandwich. Protein diagnosis through the SDS-PAGE technique defines the size and structure of different proteins contained in the sample.

Results:

The optimization of detection antibody labelling and the development of precoated-and-preblocked stored plates has allowed us to achieve a very sensitive assay (<1 ng/mL) less than four hours.

Conclusion:

Carrying out both assays in paralell enables us to have a hardy, sensitive and rapid method to identify ricin.