Development of an antibody ELISA for potency testing of furunculosis (Aeromonas salmonicida subsp salmonicida) vaccines in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L)

The study was conducted in Atlantic salmon to establish the initial and basic scientific documentation for an alternative batch potency test for salmon furuculosis vaccines. We assessed the antibody response development for Aeromonas salmonicida vaccines at different immunisation temperatures (3, 12 and 18 °C), by an enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay (ELISA) 3, 6, 9 and 12 weeks post vaccination, and the correlation between antibody response and protection in cohabitation challenge experiments performed 6 and 12 weeks post vaccination. Fish immunised with a vaccine containing full antigen dose had a significant increase in antibody response after 252 day degrees and the measured values correlated well with protection after 500 day degrees. Fish vaccinated with a reduced antigen dose showed a significant lower antibody response than fish vaccinated with the full dose vaccine at all samplings, and showed a similar low relative percent survival (RPS) in the challenges. The results from this study indicate that an antibody ELISA can discriminate between vaccines of different antigen content and the method may replace challenge tests in batch potency testing of furunculosis vaccines in Atlantic salmon. An immunisation temperature of 12 °C and sampling after 6-9 weeks, seemed to be the most appropriate time for using antibody responses to confirm batch potency.     

The influence of the inactivating agent on the antigen content of inactivated Newcastle disease vaccines assessed by the in vitro potency test

An in vitro potency test has recently been included in the European Pharmacopoeia (EP) monograph (01/2007:0870) to assess the potency of inactivated Newcastle disease (ND) vaccines. This enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is an attractive alternative for the existing in vivo potency tests especially with regard to the objective of the European Authorities to Replace, Reduce and Refine the use of laboratory animals for production and quality control of immunobiologicals.In the present study the influence of the inactivant on the antigen content established by ELISA was evaluated. Therefore, oil based vaccines containing similar concentrations of β-propiolactone (BPL) or formaldehyde inactivated Newcastle disease virus (NDV) were examined by ELISA and in the in vivo potency tests outlined in the EP.The results obtained demonstrate that the use of formaldehyde as inactivant lowered the in vitro potency compared to BPL as inactivant. In contrast, the in vivo potency was not affected. Therefore, the ELISA should not be used to compare the potency of commercial ND vaccines containing formaldehyde inactivated NDV with those containing BPL inactivated NDV. However, the ELISA is considered an attractive alternative for the existing in vivo potency tests since it can be used by vaccine manufacturers for the release of inactivated ND vaccines.     

In Vitro Potency Assay for Hepatitis A Vaccines: Development of a Unique Economical Test

Prior to the official release of each Hepatitis A vaccine lot to the market, a quality control performed by a National Control Authority requires an in vivo or an in vitro potency assay. At the beginning of our work, no standardised in vitro test common to all hepatitis A vaccines was available for both manufacturers and National Control Laboratories. In this study, a unique polyvalent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method was developed to appraise all commercially available HAV vaccines. After comparing a direct and an indirect sandwich method with commercial antibodies, the indirect assay was selected and an evaluation of sensitivity, linearity, accuracy and precision was performed before being applied to HAV antigen determination from four different manufacturers. The results are satisfactory and incline us to use routinely this method to release Hepatitis A vaccines.     

Quantitation of poliovirus antigens in inactivated viral vaccines by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using animal sera and monoclonal antibodies

Recent advances in methods for the manufacture of inactivated poliovirus vaccines have resulted in increased vaccine immunogenicity. In conjunction with this capability it is important to have available highly sensitive and quantitative potency assays. The potential suitability of enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) was evaluated using animal sera with neutralizing antibodies or neutralizing monoclonal antibodies for antigen detection in potency tests. The monoclonal antibodies developed, which bound D antigen but not C antigen, were neutralizing unless relatively weakly reactive. Those that bound C antigen only were non-neutralizing. Those that bound both C and D antigens were sometimes neutralizing. D-specific and D/C-specific neutralizing monoclonal antibodies against type-2 poliovirus protected mice on passive immunization against paralytic disease and death from the MEF strain virus. Potency measurements by ELISA using either D-specific neutralizing monoclonal antibodies or type-specific goat sera for antigen detection were sensitive and precise. Tests using C-specific monoclonal antibodies for antigen detection indicated that increased C antigen content may result in falsely elevated reactivities of animal sera with some vaccines. Monoclonal antibodies may be useful ELISA reagents for IPV potency testing.     

大肠杆菌合成的HBcAg转化为HBeAg的研究及其应用

37℃用1％β-巯基乙醇处理大肠杆菌HBcAg2小时,可使其全部转化成HBeAg。以常规ELISA方法不能检出HBcAg活性。该制品能被抗-HBe阳性血清特异中和。4℃以液体形式存放稳定,-20℃经过冻融活性下降。HBcAg转化成HBeAg后聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳行为有所改变。分别用转化的大肠杆菌HBeAg和血浆HBeAg作为酶联反应的诊断试剂,检测35份HBsAg阳性乙肝病人血清标本的抗-HBe,符合率为91.4％。同用Abbott-HBe(RIA)试剂盒测定的17份HBsAg阳性血清标本的试验结果比较,符合率为100％。说明转化的大肠杆菌HBeAg可代替血浆HBeAg作为检测抗-HBe的诊断试剂应用。     

应用转化细胞分泌的乙型肝炎病毒e抗原检测人血清中的乙型肝炎病毒e抗体

应用乙型肝炎病毒核心抗原基因转化的小鼠L细胞分泌的乙型肝炎病毒e抗原,采用ELISA法与Abbott公司抗-HBe EIA诊断盒平行比较,检测了31份抗-HBe阳性和19份抗-HBe阴性的人血清,结果完全相符。经多次重复试验,本法的OD490nm值的误差不超过8％。OD490nm值与血清稀释度之间呈直线关系。细胞培养液不经纯化即可应用,一般做1:4稀释。细胞分泌的抗原无感染性,价格低廉,不会因结合人血清蛋白而产生非特异性反应。因此比一般诊断盒中所用的人血清HBeAg有很大的优越性。     

Quantitative Detection of the Foot-And-Mouth Disease Virus Serotype O 146S Antigen for Vaccine Production Using a Double-Antibody Sandwich ELISA and Nonlinear Standard Curves

The efficacy of an inactivated foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) vaccine is mainly dependent on the integrity of the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) particles. At present, the standard method to quantify the active component, the 146S antigen, of FMD vaccines is sucrose density gradient (SDG) analysis. However, this method is highly operator dependent and difficult to automate. In contrast, the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is a time-saving technique that provides greater simplicity and sensitivity. To establish a valid method to detect and quantify the 146S antigen of a serotype O FMD vaccine, a double-antibody sandwich (DAS) ELISA was compared with an SDG analysis. The DAS ELISA was highly correlated with the SDG method (R² = 0.9215, P<0.01). In contrast to the SDG method, the DAS ELISA was rapid, robust, repeatable and highly sensitive, with a minimum quantification limit of 0.06 μg/mL. This method can be used to determine the effective antigen yields in inactivated vaccines and thus represents an alternative for assessing the potency of FMD vaccines in vitro. But it still needs to be prospectively validated by analyzing a new vaccine preparation and determining the proper protective dose followed by an in vivo vaccination-challenge study to confirm the ELISA findings.     

鱼山镇1岁以上人群不同年龄组乙肝表面抗原携带率与乙肝疫苗接种关系的调查

研究鱼山镇乙肝疫苗接种率不同人群的乙肝病毒表面抗原(HBsAg)携带率的差异。将该镇所有户籍登记在册人员按出生日期分成3组,再按随机抽样法对每个年龄组抽取一定数量的人组成样本,调查乙肝疫苗接种史;对每位参加者采集静脉血5ml,无菌分离血清,使用固相放射免疫试剂和酶联免疫试剂检测乙肝病毒表面抗原和抗乙肝病毒表面抗原抗体(HBsAb,抗-HBs)。小年龄组、中年龄组、大年龄组乙肝疫苗接种率依次为80.00%、50.46%、25.36%,差异具有统计学意义(χ2=262.24,P<0.005);小年龄组、中年龄组、大年龄组HBsAg携带率依次为2.07%、11.93%、17.87%,差异具有统计学意义(χ2=77.48,P<0.005);小年龄组、中年龄组、大年龄组HBsAb依次为43.38%、24.77%、10.95%,差异具有统计学意义(χ2=107.28,P<0.005)。乙肝疫苗接种率在小年龄组、中年龄组、大年龄组依次降低,HBsAg携带率依次增高,HBsAb阳性率依次降低。因此,接种乙肝疫苗对人群有较好的保护作用,人群乙肝疫苗接种率越高,HBsAb阳性率越高,HBsAg携带率越低。     

炭疽活疫苗家兔免疫力与血清抗芽胞IgG关系的研究

炭疽疫苗是预防炭疽流行和炭疽生物恐怖的重要手段。已有动物实验表明,炭疽活疫苗的保护力优于以保护性抗原为主要成份的无细胞疫苗,但两类现行疫苗都有待重新评价和改进。炭疽疫苗的效力必须用适当的实验室方法进行检测与分析才能了解其性质和细节。试验中力图探寻炭疽活疫苗家兔免疫力与血清抗芽胞抗体水平的关系。用“皮上划痕人用炭疽活疫苗”免疫家兔,以特定制备的炭疽芽胞抗原用ELISA法检测血清抗炭疽芽胞IgG抗体水平,并用强毒炭疽杆菌攻击进行效力试验。免疫家兔血清几何平均抗芽胞IgG滴度在免疫后一个月内持续升高,14d达到206,28d时达到776,这时其抵抗20MLD毒菌攻击的保护率为80％,符合中国生物制品规程要求的保护力。一个月后抗体水平开始下降,42d时滴度降至223。实验所揭示的炭疽减毒活疫苗诱导的家兔抗芽胞IgG抗体与抗炭疽保护力之间的关系,既为评价现行疫苗提供了资料,也为研制新型疫苗建立了参考性指标。     

Comparison between in vitro potency tests for Cuban hepatitis B vaccine: contribution to the standardization process.

Quality control of recombinant Hepatitis B vaccines performed by National Control Laboratories prior to marketing vaccine batches requires in vivo and or a well validated in vitro potency assays as recommended by WHO technical series. The in vitro test must also demonstrate its suitability for monitoring the consistency of the vaccine manufacturer. The aim of this study was to establish the relationship between both in vitro potency tests performed by Cuban manufacturer and National Control Laboratory for Hepatitis B vaccine and the suitability of our method for monitoring the manufacturer's test results and consistency. We also intended to contribute to the standardisation process consisting of in vitro methods for this vaccine.     

Oral hepatitis B vaccine candidates produced and delivered in plant material

Hepatitis B is a major global health problem; approximately two billion people are infected with the virus worldwide, despite the fact that safe and efficacious vaccines have been developed and used for nearly 20 years. Prohibitive costs for vaccine purchase and administration restrict uptake in many developing nations. Agencies such as the Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization are helping to make current vaccines more available, but reduced costs would greatly aid this effort. Oral delivery is an option to reduce the expense of administering hepatitis B vaccines. It may also improve compliance, and orally delivered vaccines may be more efficacious among poor responders to current vaccines. However, to induce protective efficacy, oral administration may require encapsulation of antigen and delivery of large doses. Plant-based expression systems offer an oral delivery alternative with low production costs, and they also encapsulate the antigen. Some plant-based systems also stabilize antigen and therefore reduce storage and distribution costs. The hepatitis B major surface antigen has been expressed in several plant systems. A variety of regulatory sequences and subcellular targets have been used to achieve expression suitable for early stage clinical trials. However, further increase in expression will be necessary for practical and efficacious products. Appropriate processing can yield palatable products with uniform antigen concentration. The antigen expressed in plant systems shows extensive disulphide cross-linking and oligomerization and forms virus-like particles. Oral delivery of the antigen in plant material can induce a serum antibody response, prime the immune system for a subsequent injection of antigen and give a boosted response to a prior injection. Small scale clinical trials in which the antigen has been delivered orally in edible plant material indicate safety and immunogenicity.     

Standardization of an enzyme immunoassay for the in vitro potency assay of inactivated tissue culture rabies vaccines: determination of the rabies virus glycoprotein with polyclonal antisera

A non-competitive enzyme-linked immunoassay (ELISA) has been standardized to supplement the in vivo potency test used for the quality control of inactivated tissue culture vaccines against rabies. The essentials of the ELISA were: fixation of the virus in different dilutions of vaccine on the surface of microtitre plates; testing of the reference and up to six test vaccines on one plate; incubation with polyclonal antisera to rabies virus glycoprotein containing an excess of antibody; further incubation with a species-specific anti-IgG coupled to peroxidase; a final incubation with a substrate. The incubation periods were 1 h, 1 h and 30 min both at +37 degrees C. The relative potency determinations were made graphically or by a computer using a parallel line bioassay in which the potencies of the vaccines of unknown potency were tested against the reference preparation on a single microtitre plate. Under these conditions inactivated rabies vaccines of different types (virus strains, cell substrates, inactivation and concentration procedures) were tested for potency. Furthermore, it was possible with this in vitro method to assay adjuvanted vaccines, in process samples such as tissue culture supernatants with live or inactivated rabies virus, concentrates, and vaccines undergoing thermal stability tests. The rabies glycoprotein antigen-antibody reaction was highly specific according to the results and the glycoprotein content was measured quantitatively. The potency determined by the in vitro ELISA correlated with the in vivo NIH protection potency test. The lower limit of detection of the ELISA was 0.015 IU/ml. Quantitative antigen determination was possible with both homologous and heterologous antisera to rabies virus glycoprotein when vaccines of the same virus strain were tested. When the potencies of vaccines of different virus strain specificity were calculated, it was necessary to take into account the strain-specific antigenicity. Even so vaccines of high potency were found to give a stronger reaction with a heterologous serum than did weak vaccines with a homologous antiserum. Stability tests made on inactivated tissue culture vaccines such as vaccine from the human diploid cell strain (HDCS), from purified chicken embryo cell (PCEC) or from purified Vero cell rabies vaccine (PVRV), showed high stability of the glycoprotein antigen even after four months of storage at +37 degrees C or 24 h at +56 degrees C, provided that the vaccines were stored in a lyophilized state. The antigenicity of liquid vaccines was inactivated after a few hours at +56 degrees C. For tropical areas, therefore, only lyophilized vaccines should be considered.     

HIV-1 p24和SIV p27两种ELISA试剂盒检测SIV p27抗原的比较

目的由于检测SIV p27抗原试剂盒来源困难,有时不稳定,鉴于HIV-1 p24与SIVp27有较强的交叉抗原,本研究比较HIV-1 p24和SIV p27两种ELISA试剂盒检测SIV p27抗原得出的结果是否存在一定的相关性。方法 HIV-1 p24和SIV p27两种ELISA试剂盒定性和定量检测样品中SIV p27抗原,并对检测结果进行回归和相关分析。结果 HIV-1 p24和SIV p27两种ELISA试剂盒检测SIV p27抗原的灵敏度分别是150 pg/mL和62.5 pg/mL。两种试剂盒检测病毒液和血浆中SIV p27抗原的定性结果一致。定量结果的统计分析得出病毒液的直线回归决定系数R2=0.857,直线相关系数r=0.926,P〈0.01,直线正相关程度较高;血浆的直线回归决定系数R2=0.512,直线相关系数r=0.716,P〈0.05,直线正相关程度较低。结论 HIV-1 p24 ELISA试剂盒能够替代SIVp27 ELISA试剂盒定性检测病毒液和血浆中SIV p27抗原,但只能定量检测病毒液中SIV p27抗原。     

用细菌/杆状病毒系统在昆虫细胞中表达GFP与HCV抗原融合蛋白

用细菌／杆状病毒（Ｂａｃ－ｔｏ－Ｂａｃ）系统在昆虫细胞中高效表达了绿色荧光蛋白（ＧＦＰ）与ＨＣＶ抗原的双功能融合蛋白,经ＥＬＩＳＡ测定和荧光显微镜观查证实,表达产物既能发射易于检测的绿色荧光,又具有ＨＣＶ的抗原活性,实现了用绿色荧光蛋白等分子标记抗原,为免疫诊断新方法的建立打下了理论基础．     

Isolation,cloning and transgenic expression of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in Solanum lycopersicum L

The Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the most widespread viral infections of humans. HBV causes acute and chronic hepatitis. Chronic hepatitis leads to hepatocellular carcinoma, which is a significant cause of death. DNA-based immunization programs to control the spread of Hepatitis B in developing countries are costly and require special storage and transportation. The alternative way is to express Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) in plants to develop oral vaccines. In this study, HBsAg gene was isolated, cloned, and then transformed in tomato plants. The transgenic tomato plants were confirmed through RT-qPCR. HBsAg expression was analysed in mature green and red stages of tomato fruit through quantitative real-time PCR. It was observed that expression of HBsAg was high in matured red tomato as compared to mature green. The present study is the first step to developing Solanum lycopersicum as an edible vaccine production system in this world region.     

Expression of hepatitis B virus S gene in Pichia pastoris and application of the product for detection of anti-HBs antibody

Antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAb) is the important serological marker of the hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. Conventionally, the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) obtained from the plasma of HBV carriers is used as the diagnostic antigen for detection of HBsAb. This blood-origin antigen has some disadvantages involved in high cost, over-elaborate preparation, risk of infection, et al. In an attempt to explore the suitable recombinant HBsAg for the diagnostic purpose, the HBV S gene was expressed in Pichia pastoris and the product was applied for detection of HBsAb. Hepatitis B virus S gene was inserted into the yeast vector and the expressed product was analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrolamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), immunoblot, electronic microscope and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The preparations of synthesized S protein were applied to detect HBsAb by sandwich ELISA. The S gene encoding the 226 amino acid of HBsAg carrying a hexa-histidine tag at C terminus was successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris. The His-Tagged S protein in this strain was expressed at a level of about 14.5 % of total cell protein. Immunoblot showed the recombinant HBsAg recognized by monoclonal HBsAb and there was no cross reaction between all proteins from the host and normal sera. HBsAb detection indicated that the sensitivity reached 10 mIu (micro international unit)/ml and the specificity was 100 % with HBsAb standard of National Center for Clinical Laboratories. A total of 293 random sera were assayed using recombinant S protein and a commercial HBsAb ELISA kit (produced by blood-origin HBsAg), 35 HBsAb positive sera and 258 HBsAb negative sera were examined. The same results were obtained with two different reagents and there was no significant difference in the value of S/CO between the two reagents. The recombinant HBV S protein with good immunoreactivity and specificity was successfully expressed in Pichia pastoris. The reagent for HBsAb detection prepared by Pichia pastoris-derived S protein showed high sensitivity and specificity for detection of HBsAb standard. And a good correlation was obtained between the reagent produced by recombinant S protein and commercial kit produced by blood-origin HBsAg in random samples.     

The development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for measuring the potency of vaccines containing Clostridium chauvoei antigens

Current standards (British Pharmacopeia (Veterinary) 1985) for vaccines containing Clostridium chauvoei require a potency test based on a challenge assay in guinea-pigs. Animal welfare and cost considerations favour the development of alternatives. Most veterinary clostridial vaccines are multi component, requiring assays in rabbits to test the potency of components other than C. chauvoei. We describe the application of an ELISA to measure the response to C. chauvoei vaccines in rabbits. The antigen is a sonicated extract of C. chauvoei strain CH4, intended to include a mixture of cellular and soluble antigens. The rabbit response to more than 70 vaccines containing C. chauvoei has been assessed against a reference serum which has been assigned an arbitrary potency of 100 units ml-1. The antibody titres of rabbit sera have been compared with the results of guinea-pig challenge potency tests on the same vaccines. The pass level in the guinea-pig potency test is equivalent to a rabbit ELISA titre of 50 units ml-1.     

Construction, expression, purification and biotin labeling of a single recombinant multi-epitope antigen for double-antigen sandwich ELISA to detect hepatitis C virus antibody

Based on B cell epitope predictions, a recombinant antigen with multiple epitopes from four Hepatitis C Virus fragments (C, NS3, NS4 and NS5) were engineered. The recombinant gene was then highly expressed in E. coli. The non-modified and C-terminal-modified recombinant proteins were used for coating and biotin labeling, respectively, to establish the double-antigen sandwich ELISA. Ten positive reference samples confirmed by the CHIRON RIBA HCV 3.0 SIA kit were detected positive, Forty one plasma samples were positive among samples from 441 volunteers, which indicated that the recombinant antigen could readily react well with plasma HCV antibody. As critical reagents of double-antigen sandwich ELISA, the recombinant multi-epitope antigen and the C-terminal-modified and biotin-conjugated antigen show good antigenicity. In this study, we provide a simple approach to produce multiple epitopes within one recombinant protein in order to avoid the costly expression of less-effective pools of multiple proteins, which is the conventional strategy of diagnostic antigen production for HCV antibody detection.     

用概率单位-平行线法和常规法统计分析几种疫苗效力检测结果的比较

本文采用概率转换-平行线法并应用微机程序对乙肝疫苗30批、狂犬疫苗34批双百日咳菌苗30批的效力试验结果进行了统计分析,并与现行常现统计法即Reed-Muench和Wilsonworcester法统计结果作了比较。 1.采用P-P法统计分析乙肝疫苗、狂犬病疫苗及百日咳菌苗效力试验结果,经对回归方程的线性及平行性检验成立的批数分别占83.3％、82.3％和83.3％,结果表明该法可以检查出由于动物差异及实验误差导致结果不成立的批数,应予复试。 2.P-P法与常规法(R-M法及W-W法)统计分析给果对三种制品评价一致的符合率分别为80％、79.4％和76.6％,两会判定结果一致,但前者更有科学性。 3.由P-P法统计分析结果,三种制品都有部分批的95％可信区间上下限值差距较大,该差距来源于动物差异及实验误差,说明在检测试验中,必需按规程要求严格筛选适宜动物和严格试验操作,以减少实验误差。对效力值可信区间应控制何种适宜范围,尚需作进一步探讨。     

A multi-dose serological assay suitable to quantify the potency of inactivated rabies vaccines for veterinary use

The mouse vaccination-challenge test, which is the most widely used method for determining the potency of inactivated rabies vaccines, is imprecise, time-consuming, and causes severe distress to the test animals. An alternative single-dose serological method has been implemented in the European Pharmacopoeia Monograph 0451 to replace the mouse challenge test for batch release. This single-dose limit method provides semi-quantitative results, but is not suitable for quantifying potency. We have now extended this serological method to a multi-dose format which allows a quantification of vaccine potency. In studies including all rabies vaccine strains relevant for Europe, we found dose-dependency for all vaccines and standard preparations. We have demonstrated that the multi-dose serological approach provides reliable quantitative potency results and is more precise than the mouse vaccination-challenge test. We have shown that adjuvanted vaccines can be calibrated against non-adjuvanted material, and that reference material can be calibrated against the International Standard. The method is therefore capable of assigning potency with the additional advantage of requiring fewer animals and reducing distress. Once the applicability of the method has been further verified in a collaborative study, it can complement the single-dose assay and eventually eliminate the need for the mouse challenge test.