Development of an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for the Organophorus Insecticide Bromophos

A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for the quantitative detection of the organophosphorus insecticide bromophos. Three bromophos analogues (haptens) were synthesized and were coupled to carrier proteins to use as immunogens or coating antigens. Rabbits were immunized with either one of two haptens coupled to bovine serum albumin (BSA) for production of polyclonal antibodies, and the sera were screened against one of the haptens coupled to ovalbumin (OVA). Using the serum with highest specificity and an enzyme tracer, an antibody-coated ELISA was developed, which showed an of 40 ng/mL with a detection limit of 7 ng/mL. The antibodies in this assay showed negligible cross-reactivity with other organophosphorus pesticides except with the insecticides chlorpyrifos and fenitrothion.