Serodiagnosis of melioidosis by a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using a lipopolysaccharide-specific monoclonal antibody.
Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis, a severe and potentially fatal infectious disease in humans known to be endemic in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. The infection is also increasingly recognized in various animal species with a potential to spread to humans. With the potential as a biological warfare agent, specific serodiagnosis of melioidosis for surveillance in large populations at risk, humans or animals, would be highly valuable. In this study, a competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a lipopolysaccharide-specific monoclonal antibody was developed. The assay provides high specificity, based on a previously described monoclonal antibody to a specific epitope on the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) of B. pseudomallei. The assay sensitivity of 96.0% and specificity of 100% were achieved at a cutoff value of 50% inhibition in human culture-proven melioidosis cases. An optimal cutoff value of 65% inhibition for sera from a melioidosis endemic area was obtained by ROC analysis and resulted in an assay specificity of 86.2%, while maintaining assay sensitivity of 92.0%. A potential application of the assay in the serodiagnosis of melioidosis in animal species was also evaluated usina dolphin sera with satisfactory results.
Thepthai
Charin
C
Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Smithtikarn
Saijai
S
Suksuwan
Montana
M
Songsivilai
Sirirurg
S
Dharakul
Tararaj
T
D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000937:Antigen-Antibody Reactions / Q000276:immunology; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000276:immunology; D016957:Burkholderia pseudomallei / Q000276:immunology; D019353:Endemic Diseases; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000276:immunology*; D008554:Melioidosis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012698:Serologic Tests; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides