title: Use of the P167 recombinant antigen for serodiagnosis of Helicobacter bilis.
abstract: Helicobacter bilis is widespread among research mouse colonies. Serodiagnosis of Helicobacter infections involves use of bacterial lysates or membrane antigen preparations that lack specificity, necessitating the need to identify a specific and sensitive antigen. A previously reported recombinant protein (P167) was evaluated for use as an H. bilis-specific antigen for serologic testing. Seventy-six mice naturally infected with Helicobacter spp. were identified from commercially bred or sentinel mice. Infection was confirmed and speciated by use of cecal specimen culture and fecal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis, followed by restriction enzyme digest of the amplicon. Forty-one mice were determined to be monoinfected with H. bilis, 27 mice were determined to be monoinfected with H. hepaticus, and eight mice were infected with another species of Helicobacter. Serum was diluted 1:100 to evaluate the immunoreactivity to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay preparations of H. bilis membrane extract and the immunodominant C and D fragments of the p167 gene. The sensitivity was greatest for the membrane extract preparation (76%), whereas sensitivity to the P167C and D recombinants was lower (62 and 51%, respectively). However, the specificity of the membrane extract preparation was low (87%), compared with the much improved specificity of the recombinant P167C and D fragments (96 and 96%, respectively). These findings suggest that the recombinant P167C and D fragments of the p167 gene product from H. bilis can be used as specific reagents in the serodiagnosis of H. bilis infection in mice.
authors.affiliation: Center for Comparative Medicine, Schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, Davis, California 95616, USA.
authors.forename: Lon V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Kendall
authors.forename: Sunlian
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.forename: Emir
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hodzic
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Freet
authors.forename: Stephen W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Barthold
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000097:blood*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D016998:Helicobacter / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D008809:Mice, Inbred C3H; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000097:blood*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012698:Serologic Tests
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D011994:Recombinant Proteins