Objectives This study aimed to develop a microfluidic chip for the simultaneous detection of specific antibodies against six common pathogens in pastoral areas. The specific detection targets include: visceral leishmaniasis (IgG against Leishmania soluble antigen, IgG against recombinant K39 antigen); cystic echinococcosis (IgG against Echinococcus granulosus antigen 5, IgG against Echinococcus granulosus antigen B); alveolar echinococcosis (IgG against Echinococcus multilocularis antigen 2, IgG against Echinococcus multilocularis antigen 18); brucellosis (IgG against Brucella lipopolysaccharide, IgM against Brucella lipopolysaccharide); Lyme disease (IgG against Borrelia burgdorferi, IgM against Borrelia burgdorferi); and Xinjiang hemorrhagic fever (virus-specific IgG, virus-specific IgM). Methods Based on magnetic particle immunofluorescence, a multi-channel disc microfluidic chip and reagents were designed. Parameters (antigen-antibody microsphere ratio, sample dilution) were optimized; fluid dynamics tests verified fluid operation feasibility. Serum samples from patients with the six diseases and healthy controls were used to detect target antibodies. The chip’s accuracy, dose-response curve (R 2 ), limit of detection (LOD), precision, and specificity were evaluated. Bland-Altman analysis compared results with traditional ELISA to assess consistency. Results The chip exhibited normal fluidic operation. Optimized reagents/samples enhanced utilization efficiency. For the six diseases, the detection accuracy met the requirements: the coefficient of determination (R 2 ) for all indicators was greater than 0.98, the minimum limit of detection (LOD) among the 12 detection items was 0.6 μg/mL, the relative standard deviation (RSD) for precision was less than 10%, and no cross-reactions occurred. Bland-Altman consistency analysis showed that the differences in detection results met clinically acceptable standards, demonstrating good consistency with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Conclusions This chip exhibits stable fluid flow, low sample/reagent consumption, and excellent accuracy/precision/specificity. Its detection results are consistent with those of traditional methods, and it enables the simultaneous combined detection of the aforementioned six infectious diseases. Compared with the clinically used method (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, ELISA), this chip has greater advantages in application scenarios and comprehensive benefits; compared with existing disc-based microfluidic technologies, it holds superior advantages in terms of detection throughput and application objectives. It provides a rapid, sensitive, and specific technical tool for the acute-phase screening, disease course confirmation, infection staging, differentiation between bacterial and parasitic infections, and disease prognosis detection of multiple prevalent infectious diseases in pastoral areas.
Wang et al. (Tue,) studied this question.