• Home »
• Biotechnology

Deborah Newby and Frank Roberto take samples in Yellowstone National Park to conduct brucellosis research.

Almost every year, controversy swirls around the issue of bison leaving Yellowstone National Park and possibly infecting cattle with the brucellosis bacteria. There is no quick, accurate way to determine if the bison carry the disease, so the result is that some years, several hundred bison are rounded up and killed.

Two INL molecular biologists, Debbie Newby and Frank Roberto, are developing a quick, sensitive and accurate method to detect the brucellosis microbe. Brucellosis is an infectious bacterial disease caused by the Brucella species. In animals such as cattle, bison, elk, sheep and goats, the disease can cause spontaneous abortion.

Roberto and Newby are validating a DNA-based field assay they designed using a portable, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system. Working with the Yellowstone National Park bison bilogist, they have obtained blood and tissue samples from about 300 bison captured outside the park this past winter.

They’ve also worked with the Idaho Fish and Game Department to obtain blood and tissue samples from a small captive herd of elk. The idea is to see if the eld are a source of brucellosis.

Newby says that so far, they have found the PCR tests closely match the results of the definitive diagnostic test for brucellosis, cultivation of Brucella from samples in a laboratory, which can take several days to weeks. The current field test detects antibodies against Brucella, which indicates exposure, but not necessarily current infection. The PCR test provides results in less than two hours in the field, and the equipment fits into a backpack.

Besides being able to detect the bacteria in animals, Roberto and Newby are looking at what samples should be taken from the animals, for instance, blood or reproductive tract tissues.

Also, they are interested in determining how long the brucellosis bacteria last in the environment, so they are collecting soil and fecal samples from rangeland to test. If the bacteria die after a period of time in the soil following birth or abortion events, they may be no risk from both bison and cattle sharing land at different times.

The PCR testing was the outgrowth of the National Park Service coming to the INL’s biotechnology organization for help on the brucellosis detection issue. But, says Roberto, the INL has a growing national security mission. The PCR testing can be adapted for detecting other organisms and could be used to help combat bioterrorism.