Journal or Publishing Institution: Food and Agricultural Immunology
Study: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09540105.2017.1313200
Author(s): Razavi, A., Malhotra, I., Ghosh, A., Pusztai-Carey, M., Marks, J. and King, C.
Article Type: Peer Reviewed Study
Record ID: 2036
Abstract: There has been an increasing concern with the safety of genetically modified (GM) crops. An important modification of GM crops is the expression of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) protein, Cry1Ab. Animal exposure to Cry1Ab indicates that the protein is safe, but that it is immunogenic. Whether Cry1Ab is a human immunogen and whether antibody response to this protein can serve as a marker of high exposure to GM crops is unknown. Here we develop an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect the presence of Cry1Ab-specific IgG in ∼100 individuals living in each of three countries that have varied exposure to GM crops (Papua New Guinea (PNG), low exposure; Kenya, moderate exposure; and the USA, high exposure). Cry1Ab-specific IgG antibodies were detected in individuals living in each region (8%, the USA; 3%, PNG; and 2%, Kenya). Thus, individuals develop anti-Cry1Ab antibodies at a frequency that roughly correlates with the exposure to GM crops expressing this protein.
Keywords: Cry1ab, Genetically Modified Crops, Bacillus thuringiensis, Antibodies, Crystal Protein; Antigens, Crops, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Humans, Immunoglobulin G, Transgenic Plants, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, United States
Citation: Razavi, A., Malhotra, I., Ghosh, A., Pusztai-Carey, M., Marks, J. and King, C., 2017. Antibodies as epidemiological markers of genetically modified crop exposure: detection of Cry1Ab-specific IgG. Food and Agricultural Immunology, 28(5), pp.779-788.
