Measurement of rotavirus antibody by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay blocking assay.

A new method for the measurement of rotavirus antibody is described, utilizing the system of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). In this method, serum is incubated with a fixed amount of rotavirus antigen, and the amount of antibody is determined by measuring the amount of unneutralized antigen. Such an assay system proved to be as efficient as the other available rotaviral antibody systems. The ELISA blocking assay also has the advantages of not requiring purified or gnotobiotic antigen and of being able to measure rotaviral antibody in all animal species.     

Serodiagnosis of melioidosis by a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a lipopolysaccharide-specific monoclonal antibody

Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis, a severe and potentially fatal infectious disease in humans known to be endemic in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. The infection is also increasingly recognized in various animal species with a potential to spread to humans. With the potential as a biological warfare agent, specific serodiagnosis of melioidosis for surveillance in large populations at risk, humans or animals, would be highly valuable. In this study, a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a lipopolysaccharide-specific monoclonal antibody was developed. The assay provides high specificity, based on a previously described monoclonal antibody to a specific epitope on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of B. pseudomallei. The assay sensitivity of 96.0% and specificity of 100% were achieved at a cutoff value of 50% inhibition in human culture-proven melioidosis cases. An optimal cutoff value of 65% inhibition for sera from a melioidosis endemic area was obtained by ROC analysis and resulted in an assay specificity of 86.2%, while maintaining assay sensitivity of 92.0%. A potential application of the assay in the serodiagnosis of melioidosis in animal species was also evaluated usina dolphin sera with satisfactory results.     

Direct measurement of in vitro antibody production using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

A rapid and sensitive enzyme-linked immunoassay is described for quantitation of the secretion of cellular products during short-term (1-20 h) culture in vitro. The method is based on culture of cells, serially diluted in antigen or antibody-coated polystyrene microtitre wells. The wide applicability of this method for measurement of anti-hapten antibody, immunoglobulin and lymphokine production is stressed.     

Detection of PMV-1 specific antibodies with a monoclonal antibody blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

A highly reproducible monoclonal antibody (Mab) blocking ELISA (B-ELISA) has been developed and evaluated for the detection of NDV-specific antibodies. The Mab utilised is specific for a conserved PMV-1 serotype-specific epitope, as demonstrated by the indirect immunoperoxidase test. It reacted with all strains representing different serogroups within the PMV-1 serotype, but not with any strain belonging to other PMV serotypes. Sensitivity and specificity of the B-ELISA were compared with the haemagglutina-tion inhibition test (HI). Blocking and HI antibodies were detected in sera of chickens 8 days post-experimental infection. The B-ELISA proved consistently more sensitive than the HI test. In another survey, 62 sera from experimentally vaccinated chickens were tested; 95.2% proved positive by B-ELISA, 85.5% by indirect ELISA and 74% by HI test. When 504 field sera from vaccinated chickens and turkeys were tested, 98% were positive by B-ELISA, and 69% by HI. The specificity was evaluated by testing 1066 samples from NDV-free flocks, all of which proved negative by both methods. Other advantages of the B-ELISA include easy standardization and quality control, and ability to test sera from any species (including exotic or wild birds as well as mammals). The use of low dilution serum or egg-yolk samples makes the test quick and easy to perform and suitable for large-scale screening.     

Detection of anti-Yta antibodies using a sensitive and specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

A specific, sensitive and semi-quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is described to detect anti-Yta antibodies in human serum. Recombinant acetylcholinesterase (AChE E.C.3.1.1.7) was employed as the coating antigen in the microtitre plate and horseradish peroxidase (HRP)-conjugated specific antibody (IgG) was used as the secondary antibody. The method developed showed excellent sensitivity, detecting a titre > 1 in 600,000 (3.5 ng/mL mouse IgG protein) for mouse monoclonal (mMAb) anti-AChE antibody. No cross-reaction was seen with other common blood group antibodies, confirming the specificity of the method. The recombinant antigen's AChE phenotype was confirmed as Yta, as no reaction was detected with anti-Ytb-positive sera. The ELISA method correlated closely with the established serological grading system used routinely in blood transfusion laboratories.     

Quantitation of immunoglobulin E antibody to cytomegalovirus by antibody capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

An antibody capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was developed for detection of immunoglobulin E antibody to cytomegalovirus (CMV-IgE). Affinity-purified anti-human IgE-coated microtiter plates were used to separate IgE from other classes of antibody in serum. Virus-specific IgE was detected by subsequent incubation with horseradish peroxidase-labeled CMV antigen and substrate. The assay was shown to be very sensitive, since in most positive sera CMV-IgE was still detected at a dilution of 1:5,000. Of 45 patients with primary CMV infection, 43 (96%) were found to produce CMV-IgE. In contrast, CMV-IgE was detected in only 4 (9%) of 44 patients with recurrent CMV infection and in 1 of 144 healthy controls. Furthermore, the level of CMV-IgE in patients with recurrent CMV infection appeared to be lower than that in patients with primary infection. Preliminary examination of successive sera suggested that CMV-IgE is produced somewhat slower than CMV-IgM and -IgA but persists for a shorter period. These results suggest that CMV-IgE may be used as an indicator of primary CMV infection.     

Detection of specific antibody by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and antigenemia by counterimmunoelectrophoresis in humans infected with Pneumocystis carinii

A urea-soluble extract of cyst-rich material from rat lung heavily infected with Pneumocystis carinii was evaluated in an enzyme-linked immunosorption assay for antibody in 461 human sera. The highest level of reactivity occurred in sera submitted for serodiagnosis from proved or highly suspect cases. However, the range of reactivities in these groups, many of whom were on immunosuppressive therapy, was very wide. A more restricted lower range of reactivity was observed in both hospital-family contacts and healthy Serum Bank donors. Because of the overlap in levels of reactivity between the pneumocystosis and control groups, no concise cutoff value to separate infected from noninfected individuals could be made. Specificity of the reactions was shown by absorption of patients' and control sera with uninfected and P. carinii-infected human and rat lung tissue. The data support the concept that P. carinii is highly prevalent as a latent agent in the general population and is provoked to cause clinically manifest disease in the compromised host. Detection of circulating antigen appeared to be specific and possibly a useful adjunct to diagnosis, as 10 of the 14 proved or highly suspect patients with antigenemia did not have measurable antibody to P. carinii.     

Measurement of antibody affinity for cell surface antigens using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

We present a fast, simple, and accurate method to determine the affinity constants of antibodies that bind to cell surface antigens. This procedure utilizes intact cells and native, unmodified antibody in a conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Target cells are incubated with serial dilutions of antibody and allowed to reach equilibrium. Cells are then pelleted by centrifugation, and aliquots of unbound antibody in the supernatant are added to a microtiter plate precoated with capture antibody and measured in a conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). We measured the affinity constant of murine monoclonal antibody CLB-1H-gran2, which binds to K562 cells (a human erythroleukemia line), and compared the ELISA-based results to those obtained by flow cytometric determination of antibody affinity. The affinity constants obtained by the two methods are in good agreement. The affinity constant is calculated utilizing only the concentrations of bound and free antibody, so that the actual antigen concentration (or number of antigenic sites per cell) need not be known. However, the number of antibody molecules bound per cell can be estimated from the results.     

Direct measurement of antibody production in cell suspensions using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

We have developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure antibody production in cell suspensions using highly sensitive avidin-biotinylated peroxidase (ABC) reagents. The cells are serially diluted in media and placed directly on a standard antigen-coated microtiter plate for 6 h, and the plate is then washed and processed to determine the bound antibody. The amount of antibody detected is reduced by puromycin indicating in vitro synthesis. Standard errors of the means of optical density readings of replicate samples are less than 10%. The background readings and readings obtained using non-immune cells are negligible, demonstrating no significant contamination by endogenous peroxidases.     

Monoclonal antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for specific identification and typing of subgroup F adenoviruses.

Monoclonal antibody specific for subgroup F enteric adenoviruses (EAds) was prepared by fusing P3-NS1/Ag4-1 mouse myeloma cells with lymphocytes from BALB/c mice immunized with G1105, an adenovirus type 41 (Ad41) strain. Monoclone 3F11/2H9, which specifically recognized Ad41, was successfully used as detector antibody in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Additionally, previously prepared monoclones 5D8/2C2 and 2H6/1E11, recognizing Ad40 plus Ad41 and Ad40 alone, respectively, were used to study stool and/or tissue culture specimens from 106 patients with adenovirus-positive gastroenteritis. By ELISA, 91 had EAds (22 were Ad40 and 69 were Ad41) and 15 had non-EAds. ELISA results were in concordance with restriction endonuclease results for 38 of 39 specimens, with dot blot data for 19 of 20 specimens, and with neutralization test results for 74 of 78 specimens. ELISA was at least 10-fold more sensitive than direct electron microscopy was for the detection of EAds in stool specimens.     

Evaluation of specific immunoglobulin E by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in hydatid disease

The diagnostic significance of elevated hydatid-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was evaluated against hydatid-specific IgG ELISA and Casoni's intradermal test in surgically proven cases of hydatidosis. A specific IgE ELISA did not correlate with IgG ELISA or Casoni's intradermal test, although its recorded sensitivity was 87%. The specific IgE ELISA was at the same time false-positive in 57.14% of the cases because of its cross-reactions with cases of ascariasis and taeniasis, unlike Casoni's intradermal test and specific IgG ELISA. It is suggested that, in a helminth-infested population, the determination of specific IgE levels is not better than Casoni's intradermal or specific IgG ELISA tests.     

Characterization of rubella virus-specific antibody responses by using a new synthetic peptide-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Rubella virus (RV)-specific immunoglobulin G antibodies were studied by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques in sera from RV (RA 27/3)-vaccinated individuals, patients experiencing natural RV infection, congenital rubella syndrome patients, and individuals failing to respond to repeated RV immunization. Results obtained by using whole-RV ELISAs (detergent-solubilized M33 strain or intact Gilchrist strain) and hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) and neutralization (NT) assays were compared with results obtained with the same sera by using ELISAs employing a synthetic peptide, BCH-178, representing a putative neutralization domain on the RV E1 protein. Murine RV E1-specific monoclonal antibodies with HAI and NT activities exhibited strong reactivity in ELISAs with BCH-178 peptide. In sera from RA 27/3-vaccinated individuals collected at 0 (prevaccine), 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 12, and 24 to 52 weeks postvaccine, the development of E1-peptide-reactive antibodies closely paralleled increases in RV-specific antibodies measured by whole-RV ELISAs and HAI and NT assays. Similarly, sequential serum samples obtained from patients during acute and convalescent phases of natural RV infection showed a coordinate increase in RV-specific antibodies as measured by whole-RV and peptide ELISAs. Conversely, congenital rubella syndrome patient sera, although exhibiting high levels of antibody in whole-RV ELISAs, had little or no antibody directed to the neutralization domain peptide. Sera from patients failing to respond to repeated RV immunization contained very low levels of RV-specific antibody in all ELISAs. Our results that the sequence represented by BCH-178 peptide may be a previously unidentified neutralization epitope for human antibodies on the RV E1 protein and may prove useful in determining effective RV immunity.     

A new sensitive and specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for IgD

We have developed a new highly specific ELISA for IgD, and then used it to measure levels of circulating IgD in the serum of 480 un-selected patients from the East Anglia region of UK. The assay is both extremely sensitive and specific, with a minimum detected IgD concentration of 30 pg/ml and more than 10,000-fold specificity for IgD over all other human immunoglobulins. The assay shows linear dilution characteristics with both purified IgD and human serum, and spiking of purified IgD into either purified immunoglobulins or human serum shows c. 100% recovery. Furthermore, intra-assay and inter-assay coefficients of variation for repeated measurements of the same samples are below 10% and 15% respectively. Measurement of IgD levels on the un-selected patient population showed levels to range from <300 pg/ml to over 100 microg/ml, with a geometric mean of 8 microg/ml. The distribution is approximately normal after log transformation. Levels of circulating IgD were higher in men than in women. There was a significant negative correlation between levels of IgD and age in women, but not in men. Moreover, after adjustment for age and sex, there were statistically significantly higher levels of circulating IgD in male (but not female) smokers, compared to their non-smoking counterparts. These results highlight the care that needs to be taken to control for age, sex and cigarette smoking when examining levels of circulating IgD in future studies.     

Detection of Ebola viral antigen by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a novel monoclonal antibody to nucleoprotein

With the increase in international traffic, the risk of introducing rare but severe infectious diseases like Ebola hemorrhagic fever is increasing all over the world. However, the system for the diagnosis of Ebola virus infection is available in a limited number of countries. In the present study, we developed an Ebola virus antigen-detection enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system using a novel monoclonal antibody (MAb) to the nucleoprotein (NP). This antibody recognized an epitope defined by a 26-amino-acid stretch near the C terminus of NP. In a sandwich ELISA system with the MAb, as little as 30 ng of purified recombinant NP (rNP) was detected. Although this MAb was prepared by immunization with rNP of subtype Zaire, it also reacted to the corresponding region of NP derived from the Reston and Sudan subtypes. These results suggest that our ELISA system should work with three of four Ebola subtypes. Furthermore, our ELISA system detected the NP in subtype Reston-infected monkey specimens, while the background level in noninfected specimens was very low, suggesting the usefulness of the ELISA for laboratory diagnosis with clinical specimens.     

Development of dengue IgM-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with higher sensitivity using monoclonal detection antibody

An IgM-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (IgM-ELISA) is used widely for serodiagnosis of dengue. A dengue IgM-ELISA with higher sensitivity has been developed. In the new ELISA, anti-dengue IgM antibody, which had been captured on the solid phase, was reacted with tetravalent dengue viral antigens, and detected by a flavivirus group specific monoclonal antibody, D1-4G2-4-15 (4G2). Reaction of 4G2 to viral antigens was similar to that of dengue patients' IgG. Non-specific reaction of 4G2 to the control antigen, which was prepared from uninfected cell culture fluid of mosquito C6/36 cells, was much lower than that of patients' IgG. Thus, specificity of the ELISA with 4G2 was much higher than that with patients' IgG, and lower levels of specific IgM was detected in the serum samples. These results suggest that the modified dengue IgM-ELISA with monoclonal antibody 4G2 has many advantages over the original "in-house" ELISA.     

Evaluation of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for treponemal antibody.

A new enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with Treponema pallidum antigen bound to ferrous metal beads (Syphilis Bio-EnzaBead; Litton Bionetics Laboratory Products) was compared with the standard fluorescent treponemal antibody-absorption test for syphilis. Bio-EnzaBead and fluorescent treponemal antibody-absorption tests were done on 218 specimens from documented cases of syphilis, on 315 sera from individuals with diseases other than syphilis, and on sera submitted to a public health laboratory for premarital (304 specimens) or diagnostic (501 specimens) tests for syphilis. Agreement between the Bio-EnzaBead and reference tests ranged from 93.0% for sera for the diagnostic test to 99.5% for sera from patients with syphilis. The overall agreement among the 1,338 sera tested was 96.3%. The reproducibility of the Bio-EnzaBead test with 60 coded sera of graded reactivity was 97%. The test is easy to perform, the indicator results are clear and unequivocal, and the findings are comparable to those of the fluorescent treponemal antibody-absorption test.     

Sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for antibody to varicella-zoster virus using purified VZV glycoprotein antigen

The development of an ELISA of increased sensitivity has permitted a more critical evaluation of human humoral immune responses to the live attenuated varicella (Oka/Merck) vaccine. For use as a solid-phase antigen, the glycoprotein (gp) antigens are prepared by lectin-affinity chromatography from lysates of VZV-infected MRC-5 cells. The lot-to-lot variation in VZV gp content is controlled by standardization of antigen against a panel of human serum providing antigen-coated plates of consistent quality. The increased sensitivity of the gpELISA over the VAR ELISA is reflected in the greater seroconversion rate and prepositive rate specificity. These determinations have been shown to be specific for anti-VZV by absorption experiments using purified VZV gp antigens.     

Microplate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for bovine leukemia virus antibody.

A microplate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method was developed for the measurement of bovine immunoglobulin G antibody specific to the envelope antigen (glycoprotein 60) of bovine leukemia virus. The test was then performed on 440 serum samples from dairy cows belonging to herds in which bovine leukemia was suspected or which were leukemia free, and the results were compared with those obtained with the gel-diffusion technique.