Development of immunoassay for detection of <i>Microdochium</i> fungi in grass

Abstract The most common and harmful disease affecting the grass on golf courses in the Nordic countries is microdochium patch. The early diagnosis of the Microdochium nivale can help prevent the spread of infection through targeted treatment. The aim of the work was to develop an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test system for Microdochium fungi detection. We have prepared specific rabbit affinity antibodies against Microdochium genus by antigen adsorption and exhaustion on wide range of fungal species. These specific antibodies were used to construct sandwich ELISA showing genus specificity and capable to detect the antigen on early stage of infection on different grass substrates. In field study, the ELISA has shown good correlation to microbiological diagnostics and was able to detect the latent infection in the absence of visual signs. We suggest that Microdochium ELISA can be used for regular testing of grass specimens for prediction and early diagnosis of latent infection. Further studies are required to determine the antigen level, which indicates the degree of infection at which steps to prevent the disease need to be applied.