title: Brucella melitensis VirB12 recombinant protein is a potential marker for serodiagnosis of human brucellosis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The numerous drawbacks of current serological tests for diagnosis of brucellosis which mainly results from cross reactivity with LPS from other gram-negative bacteria have generated an increasing interest to find more specific non-LPS antigens. Previous studies had indicated that Brucella VirB12 protein, a cell surface protein and component of type IV secretion system, induces antibody response during animal infection. However, this protein has not yet been tested as a serological diagnostic marker in human brucellosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Recombinant VirB12 protein was prepared and evaluated the efficacy of it in an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for brucellosis with sera collected from different region of Iran and the results were compared with a commercial ELISA kit.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sera from human brucellosis patients strongly reacted to the purified recombinant VirB12. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, negative predictive value and positive predictive value of recombinant VirB12-based ELISA related to the commercial-ELISA method were 87.8, 94, 90, 80 and 96.6% respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We concluded that antigenic VirB12 have a property value that can be considered as a candidate for using in serodiagnostic tests for human brucellosis.
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Shiva
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mirkalantari
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Immunology, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.|Immunology Research Center, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Amir-Hassan
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Zarnani
authors.affiliation: Monoclonal Antibody Reaserch Center, Avicenna Research Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mahboobeh
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nazari
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Gholam Reza
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Irajian
authors.affiliation: Microbiology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. amirmozafari@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Nour
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Amirmozafari
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000097:blood* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D017347:Brucella melitensis / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000592:standards; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000737:chemistry; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011817:Rabbits; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000379:methods*; D000069319:Type IV Secretion Systems / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D015415:Biomarkers; D007106:Immune Sera; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D000069319:Type IV Secretion Systems
keywords: Brucella melitensis; Brucellosis; Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; Recombinant proteins; VirB12