RESUMO
We describe the development of an immunoglobulin M-specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the detection of an early antibody response to Bartonella henselae, the causative agent of cat scratch disease, bacillary angiomatosis, and endocarditis. This assay discriminates between B. henselae-positive and -negative patient samples with sensitivity and specificity values of 100% and 97.1%, respectively.
Assuntos
Anticorpos Antibacterianos/sangue , Bartonella henselae/isolamento & purificação , Doença da Arranhadura de Gato/diagnóstico , Ensaio de Imunoadsorção Enzimática/métodos , Imunoglobulina M/sangue , Angiomatose Bacilar/diagnóstico , Angiomatose Bacilar/microbiologia , Bartonella henselae/imunologia , Doença da Arranhadura de Gato/microbiologia , Criança , Endocardite Bacteriana/diagnóstico , Endocardite Bacteriana/microbiologia , Humanos , Sensibilidade e Especificidade , Adulto JovemRESUMO
The antibody response to Bartonella henselae has been studied in a number of mammals; however, the human response needs to be further studied. After natural infection, humans have antibody reactivity to a large number of B. henselae proteins. We used a proteomic approach to identify antigenic proteins of B. henselae to determine their capacity to elicit a human antibody response. Comparing patient sera by Western blot analysis demonstrated significant amounts of reactivity to B. henselae. The immunofluorescence assay (IFA)-positive sera identified several protein spots of interest. However, a consistent reactivity to a single spot by all sera was not observed. Three of these spots demonstrated reactivity in 71%, 64%, and 64% of positive sera tested with negligible reactivity to the negative sera. These proteins were identified as GroES, BepA, and GroEL. Most IFA-positive sera demonstrated reactivity to GroES, GroEL, and BepA. The usefulness of these proteins for a clinical serologic assay is discussed.
