Abstract

The word ‘pesticide’ is known worldwide for repelling or killing all kinds of pests in both agricultural and domestic settings but the harmful effects they cause on the immediate environment and living beings exposed to them has raised serious concerns and makes it more necessary to detect the minutest levels of contamination. Convenient, cost-effective and rapid pesticide detection systems are urgently needed, for which immunoassays are the best option. The present review deals with the immunodiagnosis of pesticides; various steps involved in development of an immunoassay focussing primarily on hapten preparation and conjugation strategies, generation of antibodies and assay optimization techniques in enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) format. Their advantages over conventional methods and limitations have been discussed, followed by a bird’s eye view of the multianalyte detection, immunosensors and other options-to-be-explored for better and more sensitive detection of pesticides.     

Key words: Immunodiagnosis, pesticides, immunoassay.

Abbreviation

Abbreviations: DDT, Dichorodiphenyltrichloroethane; OP’s, organophosphate pesticides; LC, liquid-chromatography; HPLC, high performance liquid chromatography; GPC, gel permeation chromatography; GC-MS, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; LODs, limits of detection; TCP, 3,5,6-trichloro-2-pyridinol; ELISA, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; TLC, thin layer chromatography; NMR, nuclear magnetic resonance; BSA, bovine serum albumin; OVA, ovalbumin; CAMM, computer-assisted molecular modelling; scFv, single-chain variable fragment.