ABSTRACT
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples from 210 patients (200 with clinical evidence of bacterial meningitis, 10 with other clinical neurologic disease) were tested by a Dot-ELISA assay for detection of polysaccharide antigen of N. meningitidis group C. CSF samples were treated with EDTA 0.1 M, at pH 7.5 and heated to 90>C for 10 min. Polyclonal antiserum was purified by use of ethanol fractionation. The results were compared to those using bacterial culture (BC), latex agglutination (LA), counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE), and direct microscopy (DM) methods. Test results showed a correlation of 93.3%, 94.3%, 91.0% and 69.5% respectively, and sensitivity of 0.947 and specificity of 0.930. This study suggests that the dot-ELISA assay of CSF is a useful alternative technique for the diagnosis of group C meningitis.
Subject(s)
Cerebrospinal Fluid/microbiology , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods , Meningitis, Meningococcal/diagnosis , Neisseria meningitidis/isolation & purification , Polysaccharides, Bacterial/cerebrospinal fluid , Counterimmunoelectrophoresis , Culture Media , Humans , Latex Fixation Tests , Meningitis, Meningococcal/microbiology , Neisseria meningitidis/immunology , Reproducibility of Results , Sensitivity and SpecificityABSTRACT
The use of low cost meats to adulterate meats and meat products has been reported. Appropriate methods of analysis then are needed in order to detect this practice. The dot-ELISA method was used to identify the meat of different animal species and to detect adulteration of hamburgers. Antisera to bovine, chicken, swine and horse albumin were produced and they could detect the meat extract of the homologous species at concentrations as low as 0.6%. Thus, the anti-albumin antisera could identify bovine, chicken, swine and horse meat with adequate specificity and sensitivity both in isolation and when added to hamburger. Commercial samples of bovine, chicken and swine hamburgers showed no adulteration with bovine, chicken, swine or horse meats. Our expectation of hamburger adulteration was not confirmed.
ABSTRACT
The presence of antibody isotypes (IgG, IgA and IgM) to streptolysin O was determined by dot ELISA in 222 serum samples from patients with different levels of anti-streptolysin O (SLO) antibodies as measured by the neutralizing assay (NA), from patients with diseases not related to nonsuppurative complications of Streptococcus pyogenes infection, and from clinically healthy individuals. Immunoglobulin G antibodies were found in 72% of sera from patients with SLO antibodies higher than 333 Todd units (TU), and IgA antibodies were also detected in 53%, but no IgM antibodies were demonstrable. High copositivity (0.94), conegativity (0.97), and positive (0.96) and negative (0.96) predictive values were observed when IgG and IgA findings were combined. The dot ELISA gave highly reproducible results. The present data suggest that the assay may be of practical value for routine detection of SLO antibodies when employed with an anti-human immunoglobulin light chain peroxidase conjugate.
Subject(s)
Immunoglobulin A/analysis , Immunoglobulin G/analysis , Immunoglobulin M/analysis , Streptococcal Infections/diagnosis , Streptococcus pyogenes , Streptolysins/immunology , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay/methods , Humans , Predictive Value of Tests , Reproducibility of Results , Streptococcal Infections/bloodABSTRACT
The presence of antibody isotypes (IgG, IgA and IgM) to streptolysin O was determined by dot ELISA in 222 serum samples from patients with different levels of anti-streptolysin O (SLO) antibodies as measured by the neutralizing assay (NA), from patients with diseases not related to nonsuppurative complications of Streptococcus pyogenes infection, and from clinically healthy individuals. Immunoglobulin G antibodies were found in 72 per cent of sera from patients with SLO antibodies higher than 333 Todd units (TU), and IgA antibodies were also detected in 53 per cent, but no IgM antibodies were demonstrable. High copositivity (0.94), conegativity (0.97), and positive (0.96) and negative (0.96) predictive values were observed when IgG and IgA findings were combined. The dot ELISA gave highly reproducible results. The present data suggest that the assay may be of practical value for routine detection of SLO antibodies when employed with an anti-human immunoglobulin light chain peroxidase conjugate.
Subject(s)
Humans , Immunoglobulin A/analysis , Immunoglobulin G/analysis , Immunoglobulin M/analysis , Streptococcal Infections/diagnosis , Streptococcus pyogenes , Streptolysins , Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay , Predictive Value of Tests , Reproducibility of Results , Neutralization Tests/methodsABSTRACT
Com a finalidade de constatar a presenca do agente causal da legionelose no Brasil, foi realizado um inquerito sorologico pela tecnica de imunofluorescencia indireta em quatro grupos de individuos que vivem e trabalham na cidade de S. Paulo. Tres grupos foram constituidos por funcionarios de tres Unidades de Terapia Intensiva de tres hospitais gerais da cidade, e um quarto grupo de doadores de sangue de um Banco de Sangue (120 amostras de sangue), o teste resultou positivo em apenas 2.5%. Estes resultados sugerem que a legionelose-infeccao e, provavelmente, mais prevalente em pessoal que trabalha em ambientes onde se acredita que a bacteria seja mais prevalente, como, por exemplo, em Unidades de Terapia Respiratoria Intensiva
