title: Reliable tool for detection of novel Coxiella burnetii antigens, using immobilized human polyclonal antibodies.
abstract: Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii) is the etiological agent of a Q fever-the re-emerging disease with considerable economic impact. Due to many similar symptoms with commonly occurring infections, its clinical diagnosis is very difficult. Thus, a strong effort should be taken to raise the awareness and develop a robust strategy for an accurate diagnosis. The identification of specific C. burnetii biomarkers could be valuable for a sensitive and selective diagnosis of the disease. Herein, we described a workflow to identify immunoreactive proteins of C. burnetii with a high confidence. It is based on immunocapturing of bacterial antigens by biofunctionalized magnetic microspheres, followed by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) identification. We detected dozens of previously reported antigens and proposed 15 novel biomarkers, which specificity was confirmed by in silico epitope analysis. Among them, the cardiolipin synthetase participating in the synthesis of cardiolipin was recognized. This biomarker could play a critical role in the early management of acute Q fever and prevention of Q fever endocarditis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Gabriela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Flores-Ramírez
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Maksym
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Danchenko
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Quevedo-Díaz
authors.affiliation: Institute of Virology, Biomedical Research Center, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia; Institute of Microbiology, The Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic. Electronic address: viruludo@savba.sk.
authors.forename: Ludovit
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Skultety
mesh_terms: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D055910:Antibodies, Immobilized / Q000097:blood / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D002853:Chromatography, Liquid; D016997:Coxiella burnetii / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D040901:Proteomics; D011778:Q Fever / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D055910:Antibodies, Immobilized; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D001426:Bacterial Proteins
keywords: Biofunctionalized magnetic beads; Biomarkers; Immunoreactive proteins; LC–MS/MS; Q fever; Serological proteome analysis (SERPA)