title: Development of a Sterne-Based Complement Fixation Test to Monitor the Humoral Response Induced by Anthrax Vaccines.
abstract: Anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by Bacillus anthracis spore-forming bacterium. Since it is primarily a disease of animals, the control in animals, and humans depend on the prevention in livestock, principally cattle, sheep, and goats. Most veterinary vaccines utilize the toxigenic, uncapsulated (pXO1+/pXO2-) B. anthracis strain 34F2 which affords protection through the production of neutralizing antibodies directed to the toxin components Protective Antigen (PA), Lethal Factor (LF), and Edema Factor (EF). The titration of specific antibodies in sera of vaccinated animals is crucial to evaluate the efficacy of the vaccination and to obtain epidemiological information for an effective anthrax surveillance. In this study, we developed a Sterne-based Complement Fixation Test (CFT) to detect specific antibodies induced in animals vaccinated with Sterne 34F2. We assessed its efficacy in laboratory animals and under field conditions by monitoring the humoral response induced by vaccination in cattle. The results indicated that the Sterne-based CFT is able to correctly identify vaccinated animals. It proved to be a very sensitive and specific test. Moreover, the Sterne-based CFT offers many benefits with regard to costs, standardization and reproducibility of the assay procedure.
authors: Istituto Superiore di Sanità Rome, Italy.
authors: Rosanna
authors: R
authors: Adone
authors: Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Rome, Italy.
authors: Michela
authors: M
authors: Sali
authors: Istituto Superiore di Sanità Rome, Italy.
authors: Massimiliano
authors: M
authors: Francia
authors: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e Basilicata, National Reference Centre for Anthrax Foggia, Italy.
authors: Michela
authors: M
authors: Iatarola
authors: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e Basilicata, National Reference Centre for Anthrax Foggia, Italy.
authors: Adelia
authors: A
authors: Donatiello
authors: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Puglia e Basilicata, National Reference Centre for Anthrax Foggia, Italy.
authors: Antonio
authors: A
authors: Fasanella
keywords: anthrax; antibody response; complement fixation test; serology; vaccination