scholarly journals Comparison of a Dipstick Assay for Detection of Brucella-Specific Immunoglobulin M Antibodies with Other Tests for Serodiagnosis of Human Brucellosis

2003 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 612-615 ◽  
Author(s):  
Encarnación Clavijo ◽  
Ramón Díaz ◽  
Ángel Anguita ◽  
Antonio García ◽  
Alfonso Pinedo ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT A dipstick assay for the detection of Brucella-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies was evaluated by studying the serological response of 133 cultures and or serologically confirmed patients with brucellosis in its different stages along with those of 34 healthy controls. As regards patients with illness less than 3 months in duration, 93.1% tested positive by the dipstick assay, a percentage similar to that obtained in the standard serum agglutination test (SAT) (92.0%), somewhat lower than that obtained by culture (100%) and higher than that obtained by IgM enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (80.5%). SAT was the most sensitive test (87.0%) for patients with illness more than 3 months in duration, followed by culture (50%), the dipstick assay (28.3%), and IgM ELISA (7.5%). The results demonstrate that the dipstick assay could well be used in the serodiagnosis of patients with acute brucellosis, as well as to identify patients with a long history of the illness. Under laboratory conditions this test has the advantage of being quick and IgM antibody-specific.

2003 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 177-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry E. Prince ◽  
Wayne R. Hogrefe

ABSTRACT During the 2001 U. S. West Nile virus (WNV) season, 163 specimens were reactive in an in-house WNV-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) screening enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and were referred to either the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the appropriate state public health laboratory (CDC/SPHL) for additional testing. CDC/SPHL supplied results for 124 specimens that could be further evaluated in-house: 70 specimens were nonreactive in the CDC/SPHL WNV-specific IgM screening assay, and 54 specimens were reactive. These specimens were used to evaluate a modified in-house WNV-specific IgM ELISA that incorporated background subtraction to identify nonspecific reactivity and thus improve assay specificity. Of the 70 CDC/SPHL nonreactive samples, 49 (70%) were nonreactive in the modified ELISA; of the 54 CDC/SPHL reactive samples, 51 (94%) were reactive in the modified ELISA. Confirmatory studies performed by CDC/SPHL indicated that 38 CDC/SPHL screen-reactive specimens represented true WNV infection; all 38 specimens were reactive in the modified in-house WNV-specific IgM ELISA. These findings demonstrate that an in-house ELISA system for WNV-specific IgM effectively identifies patients with WNV infection.


1998 ◽  
Vol 36 (11) ◽  
pp. 3138-3142 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela P. Brandão ◽  
Eide D. Camargo ◽  
Emilson D. da Silva ◽  
Marcos V. Silva ◽  
Rui V. Abrão

A commercially available slide agglutination test (SAT) for the diagnosis of human leptospirosis was evaluated by comparing it to an immunoglobulin M (IgM) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and to the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). For all 108 patients, leptospirosis was diagnosed on the basis of a fourfold or greater increase in titer by MAT (seroconversion), and all but 1 of 245 controls were MAT negative (titers, <1:100). Both SAT and the IgM ELISA failed to detect one case of infection (sensitivity, 99%). Only 3 of 145 blood donors and none of the 100 patients with other illnesses were SAT positive (specificity, 99%). The overall results were similar for the three tests; however, SAT and ELISA were statistically more sensitive as initial screening tests. For 22% of the patients, the diagnosis of leptospirosis was made earlier by SAT than by MAT. SAT detected 27 (44%) of 62 MAT-negative patients with the first serum sample. ELISA and SAT had very similar results. Follow-up of patients for 1 year after the onset of symptoms showed a decreasing rate of positivity by SAT from the third month on. The rate of positivity by ELISA decreased more slowly, to about 67% by the end of the study. By MAT all patients were persistently reactive. SAT and ELISA seem to be convenient methods for the rapid and early screening for leptospirosis and could replace the less sensitive MAT. ELISA gives less subjective results than SAT and provides information on IgM kinetics, but it can be performed only by the more sophisticated laboratories. SAT is inexpensive, can be performed more quickly and more easily than ELISA, and could be used by the less well equipped laboratories.


2006 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1044-1051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew K. I. Falconar ◽  
Elsa de Plata ◽  
Claudia M. E. Romero-Vivas

ABSTRACT We compared dengue virus (DV) isolation rates and tested whether acute primary (P) and acute/probable acute secondary (S/PS) DV infections could be correctly classified serologically when the patients' first serum (S1) samples were obtained 1 to 3 days after the onset of symptoms (AOS). DV envelope/membrane protein-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) capture and IgG capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) titrations (1/log10 1.7 to 1 log10 6.6 dilutions) were performed on 100 paired S1 and S2 samples from suspected DV infections. The serologically confirmed S/PS infections were divided into six subgroups based on their different IgM and IgG responses. Because of their much greater dynamic ranges, IgG/IgM ELISA titer ratios were more accurate and reliable than IgM/IgG optical density (OD) ratios recorded at a single cutoff dilution for discriminating between P and S/PS infections. However, 62% of these patients' S1 samples were DV IgM and IgG titer negative (<ODmax/2 titer threshold), and in 35% of the S/PS infections, the patients' S1 and S2 samples were IgM titer negative. The IgM OD values were, however, much higher than those of IgG in the S1 samples of many of these, and the other, S/PS infections. This necessitated using higher (≥2.60 and <2.60) discriminatory IgM/IgG OD (DOD) ratios on these S1 samples than those published previously to correctly classify the highest percentage of these P and S/PS infections. The DV isolation rate was highest (12/12; 100%) using IgG and IgM titer-negative S1 samples collected 1 day AOS, when 100% of them were correctly classified as P or S/PS infections using these higher DOD ratios.


Tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) was isolated for the first time in Sweden in 1958 (from ticks and from 1 tick-borne encephalitis [TBE] patient).1 In 2003, Haglund and colleagues reported the isolation and antigenic and genetic characterization of 14 TBEV strains from Swedish patients (samples collected 1991–1994).2 The first serum sample, from which TBEV was isolated, was obtained 2–10 days after onset of disease and found to be negative for anti-TBEV immunoglobulin M (IgM) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), whereas TBEV-specific IgM (and TBEV-specific immunoglobulin G/cerebrospinal fluid [IgG/CSF] activity) was demonstrated in later serum samples taken during the second phase of the disease.


2006 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 1166-1169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart D. Blacksell ◽  
Lee Smythe ◽  
Rattanaphone Phetsouvanh ◽  
Michael Dohnt ◽  
Rudy Hartskeerl ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The diagnostic utility of immunochromatographic (Leptotek) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA; Panbio) tests for the detection of Leptospira immunoglobulin M antibodies was assessed in febrile adults admitted in Vientiane, Laos. Both tests demonstrated poor diagnostic accuracy using admission serum (Leptotek sensitivity of 47.3% and specificity of 75.5%: ELISA sensitivity of 60.9% and specificity of 65.6%) compared to the Leptospira “gold standard” microscopic agglutination test.


2003 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 317-322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel Balmaseda ◽  
María G. Guzmán ◽  
Samantha Hammond ◽  
Guillermo Robleto ◽  
Carolina Flores ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT To evaluate alternative approaches to the serological diagnosis of dengue virus (DEN) infection, the detection of DEN-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgA antibodies in serum and saliva specimens was assessed in 147 patients with symptoms of DEN infection seen at the Ministry of Health in Nicaragua. Seventy-two serum samples were determined to be positive for anti-DEN antibodies by IgM capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, the routine diagnostic procedure. Serum and saliva specimens were obtained from 50 healthy adults as additional controls. IgM was detected in the saliva of 65 of the 72 serum IgM-positive cases, 6 of the 75 serum IgM-negative cases, and none of the control group, resulting in a sensitivity of 90.3% and a specificity of 92.0% and demonstrating that salivary IgM is a useful diagnostic marker for DEN infection. Detection of IgA in serum may be another feasible alternative for the diagnosis of DEN infection, with serum IgA found in 68 (94.4%) of the IgM-positive cases. In contrast, detection of IgA in saliva was not found to be a useful tool for DEN diagnosis in the present study. Further studies of the kinetics of antibody detection in another set of 151 paired acute- and convalescent-phase serum samples showed that DEN-specific IgA antibodies were detected in more acute-phase samples than were IgM antibodies. Thus, we conclude that DEN-specific IgA in serum is a potential diagnostic target. Furthermore, given that saliva is a readily obtainable, noninvasive specimen, detection of DEN-specific salivary IgM should be considered a useful, cheaper diagnostic modality with similar sensitivity and specificity to IgM detection in serum.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 159-162
Author(s):  
Iman D. Johan-Arief, ◽  
Shen H. Lee ◽  
Xin Y. Er ◽  
Ganesh Kasinathan ◽  
Naganathan Pillai

Background: Leptospirosis is an infectious disease caused by the spirochete of the genus leptospira. It is thought to be the most common zoonosis globally and has a wide range of clinical presentations with pulmonary hemorrhage being one of its most severe manifestations. This entity known as acute pulmonary syndrome carries a high fatality rate. However, it can be effectively managed with methylprednisolone therapy. Case: We report a case of leptospirosis in a 26-year-old Bangladeshi male who was otherwise healthy. He presented with a 7-day history of fever with chills and rigors, and hemoptysis for a duration of 2 days. Physical examination revealed a febrile and lethargic man. Respiratory examination exhibited bilateral generalized crepitations over the lung fields. A chest radiograph performed showed bilateral alveolar shadowing. The diagnosis of leptospirosis was made based on positive Immunoglobulin M enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay serology, which was then confirmed by the microscopic agglutination test for leptospirosis. The patient was commenced on intravenous antibiotics and methylprednisolone at this time. He responded well clinically with resolution of fever and hemoptysis and a marked decrease in crepitations upon auscultation. This correlated with radiological improvement evidence by an obvious reduction in alveolar shadowing on subsequent chest radiograph 2 days later. Conclusion: This case is highly pertinent to the medical field as leptospirosis is an ever-growing problem and acute pulmonary syndrome is an emerging manifestation of it. Therefore, early recognition and intervention is required as this can be effectively treated with methylprednisolone therapy even in resource-limited settings


2004 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 825-834 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Sanchez ◽  
Shaikh Mizan ◽  
Charlotte Quist ◽  
Patricia Schroder ◽  
Michelle Juneau ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Pasteurella multocida is a mucosal pathogen that colonizes the upper respiratory system of rabbits. Respiratory infections can result, but the bacteria can also invade the circulatory system, producing abscesses or septicemia. P. multocida produces extracellular sialidase activity, which is believed to augment colonization of the respiratory tract and the production of lesions in an active infection. Previously, it was demonstrated that some isolates of P. multocida contain two unique sialidase genes, nanH and nanB, that encode enzymes with different substrate specificities (S. Mizan, A. D. Henk, A. Stallings, M. Meier, J. J. Maurer, and M. D. Lee, J. Bacteriol. 182:6874-6883, 2000). We developed a recombinant antigen enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on the NanH sialidase of P. multocida and demonstrated that rabbits that were experimentally colonized with P. multocida produce detectable anti-NanH immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG in serum, although they demonstrated no clinical signs of pasteurellosis. In addition, clinically ill pet rabbits infected with P. multocida possessed IgM and/or IgG antibody against NanH. The NanH ELISA may be useful for the diagnosis of P. multocida infections in sick rabbits as well as for screening for carriers in research rabbit colonies.


1977 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 588-592
Author(s):  
R. Handsher ◽  
A. Fogel

A recently described method for detecting rubella-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody based on absorption of IgG by Staphylococcus aureus strain Cowan I has been applied to 198 sera collected during a recent rubella epidemic in Israel. Modification of the original method introduced for the present study includes treatment with 2-mercaptoethanol of antibody remaining after absorption by staphylococci. This treatment confirms that the residual antibody is IgM (sensitive to 2-mercaptoethanol) rather than IgG (2-mercaptoethanol resistant). None of the 67 control patients (seropositive for rubella but without history of recent illness or contact) had specific IgM when tested by this method, though 15 showed some residual antibody after staphylococcal absorption. A total of 125 of 131 rubella convalescents (95%) were positive 4 to 49 days after onset of the clinical symptoms. Six patients had no IgM antibodies when tested by the method described, and all were convalescents tested late in relation to onset of clinical symptoms (beyond 3 weeks). When density gradient centrifugation was applied to clarify some results, 2 of 3 convalescents classified as IgM negative by the staphylococcal absorption method did in fact possess IgM antibody. None of 10 controls tested by density gradient centrifugation was IgM positive. This combination of staphylococcal absorption and 2-mercaptoethanol treatment is recommended as a screening test for selection of IgM positives, in addition to the use of a more sensitive method (such as density gradient centrifugation) on at least some samples classified as IgM negative.


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