title: A sensitive method for detecting the fermentation-inhibition antibody to Mycoplasma pneumoniae.
abstract: The fermentation-inhibition (FI) test for Mycoplasma pneumoniae was improved by using a combination of guinea pig complement and gamma globulin-depleted horse serum in place of unheated whole horse serum employed in the conventional assay system. As the test antigen for the new FI assay system, M. pneumoniae filtrated through a 3.0 microns membrane filter was used. Owing to the strong augmenting effect of guinea pig complement, the FI activity of rabbit immune serum was increased 32-fold in the new system compared with the conventional system. Furthermore, IgM antibody, which is barely detectable by the conventional system, could easily be titrated by the new system. With this sensitive method, rapid rise of FI titer was clearly demonstrable in most children with acute M. pneumoniae infections, and a prevalence of FI or growth-inhibitory antibody among healthy adults in Japan (82%) was revealed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bacteriology and Pathology, Kanagawa Prefectural Public Health Laboratories, Japan.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Akema
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takizawa
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003165:Complement System Proteins; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005285:Fermentation; D006801:Humans; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000276:immunology; D009177:Mycoplasma pneumoniae / Q000276:immunology*; D011019:Pneumonia, Mycoplasma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D011817:Rabbits; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D003165:Complement System Proteins