[Comparison of usefulness of commercial ELISA Virion/Serion, homemade ELISA and tube agglutination test in serodiagnosis of tularemia].

Abstract

INTRODUCTION:

Tularemia is a highly infectious zoonotic disease caused by Gram-negative bacterium Francisella tularensis. The microbiological diagnosis of tularemia is based on bacteriological, molecular and serological investigations. In the present study we compared of usefulness of commercial ELISA Virion/Serion, home-made ELISA and tube agglutination test in serodiagnosis of tularemia.

METHODS:

Serum samples from 57 patients with clinical symptoms of tularemia, 13 patients with yersiniosis and 20 blood donors were tested. The cut-off limit of IgA, IgG and IgM serum antibodies in home-made ELISA was set at mean antibody titer determined in sera of healthy blood donors exceeded by the three standard deviations. The cut-off for positivity in tube agglutination test was titers 25. The IgG and IgM antibodies to lipopolysaccharides of F. tularensis in Virion/Serion ELISA were measured and results interpreted according to the instructions by the manufacturer.

RESULTS:

The results of the study showed that 39 (68.4%) serum samples obtained from the patients suspected for tularemia were positive by tube agglutination test and Virion/Serion ELISA assay for IgG and IgM antibodies. Home-made ELISA was slightly more sensitive and detected the IgA/IgG antibodies in 42 (73.7%) and IgM antibodies in 39 (68.4%) of serum samples. The positive reactions were not detected by the tube agglutination test and home-made ELISA in serum samples from patients with yersiniosis and blood donors. The Virion/Serion ELISA detected IgG antibodies in diagnostically significant level only in one blood donor.

CONCLUSIONS:

In conclusion, all three serological tests can be successfully used in routine serodiagnosis of tularemia.

• Authors: Waldemar Rastawicki, Natalia Wolaniuk
• Journal: Medycyna doswiadczalna i mikrobiologia (Med Dosw Mikrobiol) Vol. 65 Issue 4 Pg. 255-61 ( 2013) ISSN: 0025-8601 [Print] Poland
• Vernacular Title: Porównanie przydatności komercyjnego zestawu ELISA firmy Virion/Serion, zestawu ELISA opracowanego we własnym zakresie oraz odczynu aglutynacji probówkowej w serodiagnostyce tularemii.
• PMID: 24730213 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Bacterial

Topics

• Agglutination Tests (methods)
• Antibodies, Bacterial (blood)
• Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (methods)
• Francisella tularensis (isolation & purification)
• Humans
• Tularemia (blood, diagnosis, microbiology)