title: Characterization of the humoral immune response to Chlamydia outer membrane protein 2 in chlamydial infection.
abstract: Detection of antibodies to an outer membrane protein 2 (OMP2) by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) by using either the Chlamydia trachomatis- or the Chlamydia pneumoniae-specific protein was investigated. OMP2 is an immunodominant antigen giving rise to antibody responses in humans infected with different C. trachomatis serovars (A to C and D to K) or with C. pneumoniae, which could be detected by OMP2 ELISA. OMP2 ELISA is not species specific, but antibody titers were usually higher on the homologous protein. The sensitivity of this assay was high but varied according to the "gold standard" applied. Levels of antibody to C. pneumoniae OMP2 as detected by ELISA seem to return to background or near-background values within a shorter period of time compared to antibodies to C. pneumoniae detected by microimmunofluorescence (MIF), making it more likely that positive results in ELISA reflect recent infection. Thus, OMP2 ELISA has distinct advantages over MIF and commercially available ELISAs and might be a useful tool for the serodiagnosis of chlamydial infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Portig
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Goodall
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.forename: J S H
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Gaston
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000382:microbiology; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D002689:Chlamydia / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; D008875:Middle Aged; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012698:Serologic Tests
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; C063931:Omp2 protein, bacteria