title: Serological diagnosis of deep Staphylococcus aureus infections by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for staphylococcal hemolysins and teichoic acid.
abstract: An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used with a purified alpha-toxin preparation to measure the serum IgG, IgM and IgA response in staphylococcal septicaemia and endocarditis. ELISA for IgG antibodies against alpha-toxin was found to be more sensitive than the neutralization test (ASTA). IgM and IgA antibody determination was found to be of limited diagnostic value. A correlation between IgG antibodies to alpha-toxin and purified beta-toxin was found in ELISA, although antibody determination to beta-toxin was a less sensitive diagnostic method. The highest diagnostic sensitivity in deep staphylococcal infections was obtained by parallel performance of ELISA to alpha-toxin and purified teichoic acid. By this approach, 32/35 (91%) patients with endocarditis, 12/14 (86%) with complicated septicaemia and 15/22 (68%) with uncomplicated septicaemia showed increased titres in samples drawn between days 7-30 of disease. Diagnostic sensitivity was further increased to 31/32 (97%) positive patients, when paired or multiple samples from patients with septicaemic staphylococcal disease were analysed.
mesh_terms: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000276:immunology; D004697:Endocarditis, Bacterial / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005667:Furunculosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D010019:Osteomyelitis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D018805:Sepsis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase; D013203:Staphylococcal Infections / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000276:immunology; D013682:Teichoic Acids / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D013682:Teichoic Acids; C021091:staphylococcal alpha-toxin; D013108:Sphingomyelin Phosphodiesterase; C029878:hlb protein, Staphylococcus aureus