Evaluation of an indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) for demonstration of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in the sea otter (Enhydra lutris)

An indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) for detection of Toxoplasma gondii infection was validated using serum from 77 necropsied southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) whose T. gondii infection status was determined through immunohistochemistry and parasite isolation in cell culture. Twenty-eight otters (36%) were positive for T. gondii by immunohistochemistry or parasite isolation or both, whereas 49 (64%) were negative by both tests. At a cutoff of 1:320, combined values for IFAT sensitivity and specificity were maximized at 96.4 and 67.3%, respectively. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve for the IFAT was 0.84. A titer of 1:320 was used as cutoff when screening serum collected from live-sampled sea otters from California (n = 80), Washington (n = 21), and Alaska (n = 65) for T. gondii infection. Thirty-six percent (29 out of 80) of California sea otters (E. lutris nereis) and 38% (8 out of 21) of Washington sea otters (E. lutris kenyoni) were seropositive for T. gondii, compared with 0% (0 out of 65) of Alaskan sea otters (E. lutris kenyoni).     

Application of protein-A indirect ELISA (PAI-ELISA) for the detection of anti-Smith antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus patients

An indirect form of protein-A ELISA (PAI-ELISA) was optimized and, when used to detect anti-Smith antibodies in sera of 31 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, gave results comparable with those using a commercial immunodiffusion kit. The number of sera found to be positive for anti-Smith antibodies by ELISA was seven, four of which were also found positive by immunodiffusion.B.O. Siti-Rohana is with the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Faculty of Medicine, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I.B. Ahmad is with the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, 43600 UKM, Malaysia; B.A. Nasaruddin is with the Institute for Medical Research, Malaysia.     

Double-antigen sandwich ELISA based on chimeric antigens for detection of antibodies to Trypanosoma cruzi in human sera

BackgroundEnzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) are generally the chosen test for Chagas disease (CD) diagnosis; however, its performance depends on the antigen preparation adsorbed to the solid phase, which may lead to false-positive results and cross-reactions. The use of chimeric recombinant antigens can overcome this limitation. Four chimeric antigens from Trypanosoma cruzi (IBMP-8.1, IBMP-8.2, IBMP-8.3 and IBMP-8.4) were developed and evaluated in phase I, II and III studies using indirect ELISA as diagnostic platform. However, peroxidase-labeled secondary anti-human IgG antibody, which is employed in indirect ELISAs, limits its use for the detection of species-specific and class-specific antibodies. To overcome this limitation, peroxidase-labeled antigens can be utilized, diagnosing both acute or chronic infection, in a species and immunoglobulin class-independent manner, through the use of a double-antigen sandwich ELISA (DAgS-ELISA). We aimed to evaluate and validate the diagnostic performance of the chimeric antigens IBMP-8.1, IBMP-8.2, IBMP-8.3 and IBMP-8.4 in the DAgS-ELISA platform.Methodology/Principal findingsDAgS-ELISA was optimized by checkerboard titration. In phase I study, 207 positive and 205 negative samples were evaluated. Cross-reactivity to other infections was also assessed using 68 samples. The selected conditions for the tests utilized 25 ng of antigen per well and the conjugate diluted at 1:2,000 for all molecules. In the phase I study, the areas under the curve of IBMP-8.1, IBMP-8.2, IBMP-8.3 and IBMP-8.4 were 98.7%, 99.5%, 98.6% and 98.8%, respectively. Among the positive samples, IBMP-8.1 antigen classified 53 (25.6%) as false negative, IBMP-8.2, 27 (13%), IBMP-8.3, 24 (11.6%) and IBMP-8.4, 43 (20.8%), giving sensitivities of 74.4%, 87%, 88.4% and 79.2%, respectively. The only antigen that did not reach 100% specificity was IBMP-8.3, with 96.6%. IBMP-8.3 was also the only molecule to show cross-reactivity with HTLV.Conclusions/SignificanceDAgS-ELISA is a promising tool for immunodiagnosis, and despite the high AUC values, the performance of this assay was different from the values obtained by our group when using these antigens in the indirect ELISA, for this reason, improvements are being considered to increase the sensitivity of the DAgS-ELISA.     

猪源支气管败血波氏杆菌百日咳杆菌黏附素基因的原核表达及其抗体检测ELISA方法

[目的]以猪源支气管败血波氏杆菌(Bordetella bronchiseptica,Bb)百日咳杆菌黏附素(PRN)基因的原核表达产物为抗原建立检测PRN抗体的间接ELISA方法.[方法和结果]利用谷胱甘肽-S-转移酶(GST)表达系统对PRN基因在大肠杆菌中进行融合表达.SDS-PAGE和Western blot检测证实该基因获得高效表达,产物易于纯化且具有良好的免疫学活性.通过凝血酶酶切GST-PRN并回收,获得不含GST载体蛋白的PRN蛋白片段.以PRN蛋白片段为抗原建立检测天然PRN抗体的间接ELISA方法.该方法对猪巴氏杆菌病等7种常见细菌性疾病阳性血清的检测结果均为阴性,其敏感性比乳胶凝集试验提高4～128倍,能检测到人工感染14 d后的仔猪血清抗体IgG,对临床送检的1,229份猪血清的检测阳性率为32.7%.ELISA方法对阳性猪场的监测结果预示了保育期仔猪的合群导致猪群大量感染支气管败血波氏杆菌.[结论]该方法具有特异性强、敏感性高、重复性好的特点,可用于猪群PRN抗体水平监测和猪波氏菌病流行病学调查.     

Comparison of indirect and sandwich ELISA for the identification of ECHO viruses

An indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was standardized for the identification of ECHO viruses isolated in buffalo green monkey (BGM) kidney cell culture on inoculation of 113 sewage samples. Comparable results were obtained with both indirect and sandwich ELISA for the identification of ECHO viruses in respect of 15 out of 34 sewage samples which showed 75-100% CPE in BGM monolayers.     

Nucleoprotein-based indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(indirect ELISA) for detecting antibodies specific to Ebola virus and Marbug virus

Full-length nucleoproteins from Ebola and Marburg viruses were expressed as His-tagged recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli and nucleoprotein-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays(ELISAs) were established for the detection of antibodies specific to Ebola and Marburg viruses. The ELISAs were evaluated by testing antisera collected from rabbit immunized with Ebola and Marburg virus nucleoproteins. Although little cross-reactivity of antibodies was observed in antiEbola virus nucleoprotein rabbit antisera, the highest reactions to immunoglobulin G(Ig G) were uniformly detected against the nucleoprotein antigens of homologous viruses. We further evaluated the ELISA's ability to detect antibodies to Ebola and Marburg viruses using human sera samples collected from individuals passing through the Guangdong port of entry. With a threshold set at the mean plus three standard deviations of average optical densities of sera tested, the ELISA systems using these two recombinant nucleoproteins have good sensitivity and specificity. These results demonstrate the usefulness of ELISA for diagnostics as well as ecological and serosurvey studies of Ebola and Marburg virus infection.     

Nucleoprotein-based indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (indirect ELISA) for detecting antibodies specific to Ebola virus and Marbug virus

Full-length nucleoproteins from Ebola and Marburg viruses were expressed as His-tagged recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli and nucleoprotein-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) were established for the detection of antibodies specific to Ebola and Marburg viruses. The ELISAs were evaluated by testing antisera collected from rabbit immunized with Ebola and Marburg virus nucleoproteins. Although little cross-reactivity of antibodies was observed in anti-Ebola virus nucleoprotein rabbit antisera, the highest reactions to immunoglobulin G (IgG) were uniformly detected against the nucleoprotein antigens of homologous viruses. We further evaluated the ELISA’s ability to detect antibodies to Ebola and Marburg viruses using human sera samples collected from individuals passing through the Guangdong port of entry. With a threshold set at the mean plus three standard deviations of average optical densities of sera tested, the ELISA systems using these two recombinant nucleoproteins have good sensitivity and specificity. These results demonstrate the usefulness of ELISA for diagnostics as well as ecological and serosurvey studies of Ebola and Marburg virus infection.     

Comparison of liposome immune lysis assay (LILA) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of antibodies

Anti-α-chymotrypsinogen A antibody was assayed by both enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and liposome immune lysis assay (LILA). The detection limit was slightly affected by the measurement conditions in ELISA; however, it was possible to control the detection limit and to achieve a lower level by adapting the measurement conditions in LILA. LILA is believed to offer a simple and highly sensitive method for measuring the concentration of antibody in serum.     

ELISA test for anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibodies detection evaluated by a computer screen photo-assisted technique

The computer screen photo-assisted technique (CSPT), a method for substance classification based on spectral fingerprinting, which involves just a computer screen and a web camera as measuring platform is used here for the evaluation of a prospective enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). A anti-neutrophil cytoplasm antibodies (ANCA-ELISA) test, typically used for diagnosing patients suffering from chronic inflammatory disorders in the skin, joints, blood vessels and other tissues is comparatively tested with a standard microplate reader and CSPT, yielding equivalent results at a fraction of the instrumental costs. The CSPT approach is discussed as a distributed measuring platform allowing decentralized measurements in routine applications, whereas keeping centralized information management due to its natural network embedded operation.     

鸭疫里氏杆菌多种血清型间接ELISA检测方法的建立

【目的】鸭疫里氏杆菌(Riemerella anatipestifer,RA)是一种重要的禽病病原,分为21个血清型。但一直缺乏一种针对多种血清型广泛适用的抗体检测方法。前期的研究表明,外膜蛋白A (Outer membrane protein A,OmpA)广泛存在于多种血清型的RA菌株中,是一种重要的免疫原性蛋白,并且其基因序列在RA血清型之间具有高度的保守性,提示其可以作为RA感染血清抗体检测的靶点分子。以重组蛋白OmpA建立间接酶联免疫吸附试验检测RA的抗体。【方法】通过诱导表达条件的摸索及蛋白纯化,获得适用于ELISA包被的重组OmpA抗原。通过Western-blot证明重组蛋白OmpA是否与RA多种血清型发生免疫学反应。进行方阵试验以确定ELISA抗原的最佳包被浓度、被检测血清的反应浓度。重复性、特异性和敏感性试验检查该方法的实用性。【结果】实验证实加入1%乙醇的诱导培养基有利于重组蛋白的可溶性表达。Western-blot结果表明,重组蛋白OmpA可以与1、2、6、10、11、13、14和17型多种RA主要流行血清型有良好的免疫反应性。经方阵试验确定抗原的最佳包被浓度为8 mg/L,待检血清的最佳稀释度为1:160。所建立检测方法具有良好的重复性、特异性和敏感性。【结论】实验建立的鸭疫里氏杆菌多种血清型间接ELISA检测方法可以用于免疫后抗体消长以及感染性抗体的检测。     

检测牛冠状病毒抗体间接ELISA方法的建立与应用

[背景]牛冠状病毒(Bovine coronavirus,BCoV)是引起新生犊牛死亡的主要病原之一,有效的检测手段是防治该病的前提。目前BCoV ELISA检测方法存在敏感性低、不稳定等缺陷。[目的]对原有BCoV ELISA方法进行改进,建立间接ELISA检测方法。[方法]应用我国BCoV流行毒株CD株n基因为模板,预测N蛋白抗原表位,通过原核表达制备可溶性的重组N蛋白作为抗原,建立间接ELISA方法,应用该方法对黑龙江省2010-2017年的BCoV感染进行血清流行病学调查。[结果]该ELISA方法最佳工作条件为:用50 mmol/LpH 9.6碳酸盐作为包被液,抗原包被浓度2.5μg/mL;用PBST作为样本稀释液,稀释浓度1:50,37℃孵育1.5 h;HRP-羊抗牛IgG稀释浓度1:7 500,37℃孵育1.0 h;用1%明胶37℃封闭30 min。阴阳性临界值为0.225。该方法与BRV、BRSV、BVDV、IBRV、BPIV3和E.coli阳性血清均无交叉反应。批内和批间变异系数均小于10%,与病毒中和试验的符合率高达93.5%。对黑龙江省部分地区共603份奶牛血清样品检测结果显示,BCoV抗体阳性率为98.84%。[结论]建立的ELISA方法特异性强、敏感性高、稳定性好,为进一步研发ELISA试剂盒提供了技术基础。     

Evaluation of thiosemicarbazones and semicarbazones as potential agents anti-Trypanosoma cruzi

Synthetic thiosemicarbazones and semicarbazones were evaluated for their Trypanosoma cruzi trypomastigotes obtained from LLC-MK2 cell cultures. In general, thiosemicarbazone derivatives were most effective and among them the 4-N-(2′-methoxy styryl)-thiosemicarbazone was chosen, to compare the in vitro effect against amastigotes of T. cruzi lodged in mouse peritoneal and human macrophages. A potent trypanocidal effect was observed that was more pronounced against parasites internalized in human macrophages. A potential target for this compound was also evaluated by measuring the nitric oxide synthase activity through NADPH consumption. A significant decrease in enzyme activity was observed. In contrast to the cytotoxic effect observed with benznidazole, no macrophage toxicity was observed for any of the compounds, indicating that their activity was specific for the parasite forms investigated.     

EVI antibodies in patients with Chagas' disease: relationship with anti-Trypanosoma cruzi immunoglobulins and effects of specific treatment

Antibodies against heart vascular structures and striated muscle cells interstitium (EVI antibodies) persist in Chagas' disease patients who had been cured by specific treatment as demonstrated by negative xenodiagnosis, conventional serology (CS) and complement mediated lysis (CoML). On the other hand, EVI antibodies are either present or absent in treated patients presenting positive CS but negative CoML. Since CoML detects antibodies associated to resistance, EVI antibodies are not likely to participate in the control of T. cruzi infections although they might be induced by cross-reacting antigens of heart cells and the parasite. They are neither necessarily related to antibodies responsible for CS. Absorption with T. cruzi and heart tissue confirms the suggestion that EVI antibodies are induced by a number of antigenic determinants, most from heart structures with a minor participation of T. cruzi antigens.     

栉孔扇贝急性病毒性坏死症病毒单克隆抗体的制备及ELISA检测

利用蔗糖密度梯度离心技术从自然发病的栉孔扇贝 (Chlamysfarrreri)组织分离纯化急性病毒性坏死症(Acutevirusnecrobioticdisease,AVND)病毒 ,并以此为抗原免疫Balb c小鼠。将免疫小鼠的脾细胞与NS_1骨髓瘤细胞进行融合 ,最终筛选出 4株能稳定传代并分泌该病毒特异性单克隆抗体 (MonoclonalAntibody ,MAb)的杂交瘤细胞系。应用胶体金标记免疫电镜技术在超微水平上对这 4株MAbs进行测定表明 ,它们对AVND病毒均具有高度的特异性 ,并且所识别的特异性位点均位于病毒粒子囊膜的纤突上。应用该单克隆抗体对不同养殖季节的一龄贝进行间接ELISA检测发现 ,7月中旬至 7月底病毒感染率与感染强度均处于当年的最高峰 ,与这一时期栉孔扇贝所表现出的最高死亡率完全吻合     

玉米赤霉烯酮单克隆抗体的制备及间接竞争ELISA检测方法的建立

玉米赤霉烯酮具有较强的生物毒性,检测谷物中的玉米赤霉烯酮在食品和饲料安全中具有重要的作用.将玉米赤霉烯酮与牛血清白蛋白的偶联物免疫BALB/c小鼠制备单克隆抗体,并建立基于单克隆抗体的酶联免疫法作为检测玉米赤霉烯酮的方法.结果共筛选到4株抗玉米赤霉烯酮单克隆抗体,3株抗体亚类为IgG1,1株为IgG2b.选择其中的一株杂交瘤细胞2C9制备小鼠腹水,纯化后测定了抗体效价为1/40 000.以此单抗建立的间接竞争ELISA方法,其半数抑制率(IC50)为1.90 ng/mL,检测限(IC10)为0.051 ng/mL,检测区间(IC20-IC80)为0.115-13.900 ng/mL;且对玉米赤霉烯酮有很好的特异性.回收率检测在样品含1.46-93.80 μg/kg时回收率为96.5％-113.0％.本实验建立的检测方法可用于多种谷物及饲料样本中玉米赤霉烯酮的检测.     

A more specific ELISA assay for the detection of antiphospholipid antibodies

The anticardiolipin ELISA assay was devised just over 10 years ago to detect patients with the APS, a disorder of recurrentthrombosis and/or pregnancy Though a series of workshops, the ELISA technique for detection of anticardiolipin antibodies has been standardized and units of measurement established.Manipulation of phospholipid antigens has enable a more specific detection of APS sera without loss of sensitivity. Inclusion of an in-house positive control in addition to calibrators may enable greater reproducibility of the anticardiolipin test. Since the lupus anticoagulant test alone may be positive, physicians should order both tests in patients suspected of having the APS. These patients need to be diagnosed since prophylactic tre prevent recurrent thrombosis and pregnancy losses.     

Copper(II)-fluoroquinolone complexes with anti-Trypanosoma cruzi activity and DNA binding ability

Copper(II) complexes of fluoroquinolone antibacterial agents levofloxacin (LEV) and sparfloxacin (SPAR), containing or not a nitrogen donor heterocyclic ligand, 2,2'-bipyridine (bipy) or 1,10-phenathroline (phen), were prepared and characterized. The complexes are of the type [CuCl(2)(H(2)O)(L)], [CuCl(bipy)(L)]Cl and [CuCl(2)(phen)(L)], where L?=?LEV or SPAR. The data suggest that LEV and SPAR act as zwitterionic bidentade ligands coordinated to Cu(II) through the carboxylate and ketone oxygen atoms. The electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of the [CuCl(bipy)(L)]Cl and [CuCl(2)(phen)(L)] complexes (L?=?LEV and SPAR) in aqueous and DMSO solutions indicate mixture of mononuclear and binuclear forms. The Cu(II) complexes, together with the corresponding ligands, were evaluated for their trypanocidal activity in vitro against Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease. The assays performed against bloodstream trypomastigotes showed that all complexes were more active than their corresponding ligands. Complexes [CuCl(2)(phen)(LEV)] and [CuCl(2)(phen)(SPAR)] were revealed, among all studied compounds, to be the most active with IC(50)?=?1.6 and 4.7?μM, respectively, both presenting a superior effect than benznidazole. The interactions of fluoroquinolones and their Cu(II) complexes with calf-thymus DNA were investigated. These compounds showed binding properties towards DNA, with moderated binding constants values, suggesting that this structure may represent a parasite target.     

High prevalence anti-Trypanosoma cruzi antibodies,among blood donors in the State of Puebla,a non-endemic area of Mexico

Blood transfusion is the second most common transmission route of Chagas disease in many Latin American countries. In Mexico, the prevalence of Chagas disease and impact of transfusion of Trypanosoma cruzi-contaminated blood is not clear. We determined the seropositivity to T. cruzi in a representative random sample, of 2,140 blood donors (1,423 men and 647 women, aged 19-65 years), from a non-endemic state of almost 5 millions of inhabitants by the indirect hemagglutination (IHA) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests using one autochthonous antigen from T. cruzi parasites, which were genetically characterized like TBAR/ME/1997/RyC-V1 (T. cruzi I) isolated from a Triatoma barberi specimen collected in the same locality. The seropositivity was up to 8.5% and 9% with IHA and ELISA tests, respectively, and up to 7.7% using both tests in common. We found high seroprevalence in a non-endemic area of Mexico, comparable to endemic countries where the disease occurs, e.g. Brazil (0.7%), Bolivia (13.7%) and Argentina (3.5%). The highest values observed in samples from urban areas, associated to continuous rural emigration and the absence of control in blood donors, suggest unsuspected high risk of transmission of T. cruzi, higher than those reported for infections by blood e.g. hepatitis (0.1%) and AIDS (0.1%) in the same region.