SUITABILITY OF AUTOCLAVED TAP WATER FOR PREPARATION OF ELISA REAGENTSAND WASHING BUFFER

The suitability of autoclaved tap water for the preparation of ELISA r eagents and washing buffer was compared with that of ultrapure water, in a standard indirect ELISA for the detection of antibodies to pseudo rabies virus (PRV). The performance of the assay, using autoclaved tap water (AT-ELISA) compared favourably to that of the standard assay, u sing ultrapure water (UP-ELISA) in detecting anti-PRV antibodies in se quential serum samples from a pig experimentally infected with PRV. Wh ile both the UP-ELISA and AT-ELISA proved reliable in detecting anti-P RV antibodies in a coded proficiency serum panel (n = 60), the AT-ELIS A detected fewer positive sera than the UP-ELISA in evaluating a limit ed number (n = 80) of field samples. The results suggest that autoclav ed tap water may be substituted for ultrapure water for the preparatio n of ELISA reagents when or where ultrapure water may not be available .