The Development of ELISAs for the Detection of Storage Mites in Grain

The study forms the first part of the development of an immunoassay to detect storage mite infestations in cereals and their derived products. This was achieved by examining the suitability of an existing monoclonal antibody (MAb) raised against the cosmopolitan food mite, Lepidoglyphus destructor (Schrank). The results demonstrate that in the absence of grain the MAb could detect and quantify unknown numbers of L. destructor, ranging between 0 and 100 adult mites. However, in the presence of grain the sensitivity of the assay decreased. This was probably because the existing antibody had not been raised for this purpose. To overcome this, an additional polyclonal antibody was used which gave satisfactory detection of 0 to 100 adult mites seeded in 5 g of grain. The work has shown the excellent potential of an immunoassay method for the rapid detection of storage mites in unmilled cereals.