title: Relation between protective potency and specificity of antibodies in sera of tetanus immunized individuals.
abstract: Out of 157 human sera analyzed for antitetanus antibody content by ELISA, 13 turned out to contain only anti-BIIb antibodies, of which 8 proved to be neutralizing. Of these, the 3 sera 303, 306 and 312 together with a commercially available standard preparation of human antitetanus immunoglobulins were further analyzed as to their antibody composition by ELISA using plates sensitized with either the toxoid or various tetanus toxin-derived fragments. It was verified that the protective potency of these antisera was related mainly to their anti-BIIb antibody content. Adsorption experiments confirmed that anti-BIIb antibodies were primarily involved in toxin neutralization, although the presence of high levels of both anti-alpha and anti-Ibc antibodies could confer neutralizing capacity on the sera. A rabbit antiserum raised with the BIIb fragment resulted in a neutralizing antiserum that allowed us to calibrate the ELISA with the anti-BIIb antibodies as International Units.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: German-Fattal
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: German
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bizzini
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003017:Clostridium tetani / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008875:Middle Aged; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology; D013742:Tetanus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D013744:Tetanus Toxin / Q000276:immunology; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D013744:Tetanus Toxin; D013745:Tetanus Toxoid; C040635:tetanus toxin fragment C