title: Serum antibody to Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin measured by a passive hemagglutination assay.
abstract: A passive hemagglutination (PHA) assay for antibody to Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin is described which utilizes chromic chloride-treated ovine erythrocytes coated with purified toxin. PHA antitoxin titers correlated well with those obtained by a cytotoxicity neutralization assay (r = 0.91, P less than 0.001), whereas the PHA assay was four to eight times as sensitive. The mean serum PHA titer of 16 patients convalescing from recent pseudomonas infections (log2 = 9.4 +/- 3.9) was significantly higher (P less than 0.001) than that of 17 healthy controls (2,7 +/- 2.6), and fourfold or greater rises were demonstrated in 5 of 7 patients examined sequentially. The lower levels of PHA antibody in sera from 11 of 17 controls suggested the acquisition of antitoxin secondary to asymptomatic infection.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D000992:Antitoxins / Q000032:analysis*; D002857:Chromium; D004912:Erythrocytes; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000276:immunology*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000276:immunology*; D012756:Sheep / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000992:Antitoxins; D002857:Chromium