title: Differentiation between active and inactive human brucellosis by measuring antiprotein humoral immune responses.
abstract: A preparation of Brucella abortus cytoplasmic proteins was depleted of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by immunoadsorption with a monoclonal antibody (MAb), BC68, specific for the O antigen of B. abortus smooth LPS. Two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) systems were developed and used in this study. The first system includes an LPS-free cytoplasmic protein preparation; the second one was based on antigen capture on MAb BC68. By using these systems, we have demonstrated that 94% (33 of 35) of the brucellosis patients studied showed immunoglobulin G antiprotein response and also that all of the patients showed a strong anti-LPS reactivity. Thirty-six serologically positive individuals with no active infection at the time of examination (SPI) were also included. No immunoglobulin G antibodies against proteins were detected in 34 of them (92%), whereas 31 SPI (86%) showed various degrees of anti-LPS reactivity. The use of the LPS-free protein extract in ELISAs made it possible to establish differential reactivity patterns between active and inactive brucellosis.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Estudios de la Inmunidad Humoral (IDEHU-UBA-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina.
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Goldbaum
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Rubbi
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Wallach
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Miguel
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Baldi
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Fossati
mesh_terms: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D002003:Brucella abortus / Q000276:immunology; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides