Iran Develops Indigenous Brucellosis ELISA Kit
WANA (Nov 24) – Iranian researchers at the Razi Vaccine and Serum Research Institute have successfully produced a recombinant protein for use in an Iranian-made ELISA diagnostic kit for brucellosis — a zoonotic disease that causes significant annual economic and public-health losses in the country.
The national, knowledge-based project involved the amplification, cloning, and expression of the indigenous B. melitensis (omp28) bp26 recombinant protein.
The research was led by Seyed Davoud Hosseini, a faculty member at the Razi Institute, with support from the Iran National Science Foundation (INSF). The project aims to improve diagnostic accuracy for brucellosis and overcome limitations in current testing methods.
Hosseini explained that brucellosis remains one of the most common zoonotic diseases worldwide, with more than half a million cases reported annually.
The infection can persist chronically in the body and, in some cases, develop into granulomatous conditions affecting multiple organs. The disease is caused by Brucella bacteria, of which nine species have been identified — five capable of causing illness in humans.
Despite being endemic in many developing countries, accurate and rapid diagnosis remains a challenge, he noted, due to the disease’s non-specific symptoms. Blood tests are currently the most widely used diagnostic approach.
Hosseini added that brucellosis not only threatens public health but also inflicts substantial economic damage on the livestock industry. In Iran, annual losses exceed approximately 127 million USD, largely due to abortion in livestock, reduced milk production, and infertility in herds.
According to the Vice-Presidency for Science and Technology, the researcher further highlighted deficiencies in current diagnostic methods and emphasized the importance of developing precise, rapid, and standardized tools — particularly given brucellosis’s relevance to biodefense studies. Early-detection test kits and recombinant-protein antigen production were among the key goals of the project.
Hosseini noted that ELISA kits, due to their high speed and accuracy, are essential tools for screening and monitoring the disease, enabling the processing of large numbers of samples in a short time. Their standardization and reproducibility also make population-level surveillance more effective.
