A comparison of four serological tests for the diagnosis of caseous lymphadenitis in sheep and goats

A double antibody sandwich ELISA (ELISA A) developed for the detection of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in sheep and goats was modified to improve its sensitivity. To establish the sensitivity and specificity of this modified ELISA (ELISA B), sera from 183 sheep and 186 goats were tested using ELISAs A and B. Comparison was also made with two further ELISAs (C and D) developed in Australia that, respectively, detect antibodies to cell wall antigens or toxin.ELISA B had the best performance of the four tests. Its specificity was 98+/-1% for goats and 99+/-1% sheep. Its sensitivity was 94+/-3% for goats and 79+/-5% for sheep. ELISA B will now be tested for use in caseous lymphadenitis eradication and control programmes in The Netherlands. It will also be used in experimental studies of CL in Scotland.     

Validation of the Fluorescence Polarisation Assay (FPA) for the serological diagnosis of brucellosis

In order to evaluate suitability of Fluorescence Polarisation Assay (FPA) for serological Brucella diagnostic, 1739 samples of sera from cattle, pigs, sheep and goats (65 Brucella-positive, 960-negative and 714 false-positive sera) were investigated at a dilution of 1:10. The cut-off was adjusted by means of ROC analysis. Furthermore, the serum samples were examined for Brucella antibodies using SAT, CFT and ELISA and the results were evaluated regarding sensitivity and specificity. FPA, SAT, CFT and ELISA attained a sensitivity of 92.3, 98.5, 84.6 and 86.2%. In comparison, specificity varied with 87.8, 72.6, 92.5 and 85.8%, respectively. Accordingly, FPA is a suitable test for serodiagnosis of brucellosis.     

Development of ELISAs based on recombinant antigens for the detection of Toxoplasma gondii-specific antibodies in sheep and cats.

ELISAs using recombinant parasite polypeptides as antigens were developed to measure Toxoplasma gondii-specific antibodies in the sera of sheep and cats. Compared with an ELISA based on traditional parasite antigen, the ELISA for sheep sera had a sensitivity of 79% and a negative predictive value of 80%, and the ELISA for cat sera had a sensitivity of 100% and a negative predictive value of 100%. Both ELISAs had specificities of 100% and positive predictive values of 100%. These ELISAs appear to be a useful cost-effective alternative to ELISAs based on traditional parasite antigen for the measurement of T. gondii-specific antibodies in the sera of sheep and cats.     

Evaluation of a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detecting antibodies to Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica in cattle, sheep and buffaloes in Australia

A commercially available ELISA for detecting antibodies to liver fluke was evaluated for use in Australia. Milk and serum samples from cattle and sheep in which infection with Fasciola hepatica was confirmed by detection of eggs in faeces were used to estimate sensitivity. Similar samples collected from cattle and sheep outside the F. hepatica-endemic area were used to estimate specificity. The ELISA was also evaluated for detecting antibodies to F. hepatica in milk from sheep and antibodies to Fasciola gigantica in sera from cattle and buffaloes, but with small numbers of samples. In cattle, the sensitivity and specificity of the ELISA were 98.2% and 98.3% using serum and 97.7% and 99.3% using milk. In infected herds, 41.4% and 41.5% of animals were positive in the serum and milk ELISAs, respectively, whereas F. hepatica eggs were found in faecal samples from 26.5% of animals. In sheep, the sensitivity of the ELISA was 96.9% and the specificity was 99.4%. In infected flocks, 60.2% of animals were positive in the serum ELISA and F. hepatica eggs were found in faecal samples 52.2% of animals. There was perfect agreement in the ELISA between paired serum and milk samples collected from ewes. The assay detected antibodies in sera from cattle and buffaloes with natural and experimental F. gigantica infections. In the experimentally infected animals, antibodies were detected 2 weeks post-infection. We conclude that the ELISA will be a valuable tool for diagnosing F. hepatica infections in cattle and sheep. The assay may also be useful for diagnosing F. gigantica infections but further studies are required to establish sensitivity and specificity.     

Detection of antibody to turkey coronavirus by antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay utilizing infectious bronchitis virus antigen

An antibody-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of antibody to turkey coronavirus (TCV) utilizing infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) antigen was developed. Anti-TCV hyperimmune turkey serum and normal turkey serum were used as positive or negative control serum for optimization of the ELISA system. Goat anti-turkey immunoglobulin G (light plus heavy chains) conjugated with horseradish peroxidase was used as detector antibody. The performance of the ELISA system was evaluated with 45 normal turkey sera and 325 turkey sera from the field and the cutoff point was determined. Serum samples of turkeys experimentally infected with TCV collected sequentially from 1 to 63 days postinfection were applied to the established antibody-capture ELISA using IBV antigens. The optimum conditions for differentiation between anti-TCV hyperimmune serum and normal turkey serum were serum dilution at 1:40 and conjugate dilution at 1:1600. Of the 325 sera from the field, 175 were positive for TCV by immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) assay. The sensitivity and specificity of the ELISA relative to IFA test were 93.1% and 96.7%, respectively, based on the results of serum samples from the field turkey flocks using the optimum cutoff point of 0.18 as determined by the logistic regression method. The ELISA values of all 45 normal turkey sera were completely separated from that of IFA-positive sera. The ELISA results of serum samples collected from turkeys experimentally infected with TCV were comparable to that of the IFA assay. Reactivity of anti-rotavirus, anti-reovirus, anti-adenovirus, or anti-enterovirus antibodies with the IBV antigens coated in the commercially available ELISA plates coated with IBV antigens could be utilized for detection of antibodies to TCV in antibody-capture ELISA.     

Comparison of sensitivity and specificity in three commercial foot-and-mouth disease virus non-structural protein ELISA kits with swine sera in Taiwan

Three commercialized ELISA kits for the detection of antibodies to the non-structural proteins (NSPs) of FMD virus were compared, using sera from uninfected, vaccinated, challenged and naturally infected pigs. The kinetics of the antibody response to NSPs was compared on sequential serum samples in swine from challenge studies and outbreaks. The results showed that ELISA A (UBI) and ELISA B (CEDI) had better sensitivity than that of the 3ABC recombinant protein-based ELISA C (Chekit). The peak for detection of antibodies to NSPs in ELISA C was significantly delayed in sera from natural infection and challenged swine as compared to the ELISA A and B. The sensitivity of the three ELISAs gradually declined during the 6-month post-infection as antibodies to NSP decline. ELISA kits A and B detected NSP antibody in 50% of challenged pigs by the 9-10th-day and 7-8th-day post-challenge, respectively. ELISA B and C had better specificity than ELISA A on sequential serum samples obtained from swine immunized with a type O FMD vaccine commercially available in Taiwan. Antibody to NSPs before vaccination was not detected in swine not exposed to FMD virus, however, antibody to NSPs was found in sera of some pigs after vaccination. All assays had significantly lower specificity when testing sera from repeatedly vaccinated sows and finishers in 1997 that were tested after the 1997 FMD outbreak. However, when testing sera from repeatedly vaccinated sows or finishers in 2003-2004, the specificity for ELISAs A, B and C were significantly better than those in 1997. This effect was less marked for ELISA A. The ELISA B was the best test in terms of the highest sensitivity and specificity and the lowest reactivity with residual NSP in vaccinates.     

非洲猪瘟病毒抗体检测间接ELISA方法的建立

以基因工程表达的非洲猪瘟病毒VP73蛋白作为包被抗原,建立了间接ELISA方法,用以检测猪血清中抗非洲猪瘟VP73蛋白的抗体。该方法对非洲猪瘟标准阳性血清的检测灵敏度可以达到1∶2 560,与同类进口ELISA试剂盒相当。此方法只特异性检出非洲猪瘟阳性血清,而对猪传染性胸膜肺炎等5种猪传染病阳性血清的检测结果均为阴性,表明其具有良好的特异性。批内和批间重复性试验结果发现,检测同一份血清的变异系数小于10%,表明其重复性较好。包被好的酶标板37℃放置5d后,对同一份血清的检测敏感性无明显变化,初步表明其稳定性较好。利用建立的间接ELISA方法和进口ELISA试剂盒分别对150份血清样品进行非洲猪瘟血清抗体检测,结果表明本方法的特异性和敏感性分别为99.1%和94.3%,2种方法检测结果的符合率为98%。以上试验表明,本试验建立的间接ELISA方法具有良好的特异性和敏感性、较好的重复性和稳定性,可以满足临床检测的需求。     

Serological studies on Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infections in goats in Baden-Wuerttemberg (Germany) and seroreactions on antigens used for newly developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA)

In the present study, comprehensive data on the seroprevalence of Corynebacterium (C.) pseudotuberculosis infections in goats are presented for Baden-Wuerttemberg, a Federal State of Germany, for the first time. As a prerequisite, ELISAs based on a recombinant phospholipase D (rPLD) and whole cell antigens (WCA) were designed and validated yielding sensitivity values of 81% and 97% and specificity values of 98% and 99%, respectively. Immunisation trials in goats demonstrated a significant production of antibodies to rPLD but an evidently lower antibody production to WCA as determined in the corresponding ELISA. Moreover, immunisation with rPLD resulted in the formation of antibodies, which were also detected in the WCA ELISA. In contrast, this phenomenon was not observed with the rPLD ELISA after immunisation with WCA. Implementation of the rPLD and WCA ELISAs in a broad-based seroprevalence study in Baden-Wuerttemberg revealed positive reactions in both ELISAs in 13.2% of the 1771 goat sera tested. In 53.7% of 121 herds of which five or more animals were tested per herd there was at least one animal that showed a positive reaction in both tests.     

Comparable sensitivity and specificity in three commercially available ELISAs to differentiate between cattle infected with or vaccinated against foot-and-mouth disease virus

Three commercially available ELISAs for the detection of antibodies to the non-structural proteins of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) were evaluated, using sera from uninfected, vaccinated, infected, inoculated, first vaccinated and subsequently infected, and first vaccinated and subsequently inoculated cattle. We compared antibody kinetics to non-structural proteins, sensitivity, and specificity. One of the ELISAs had a higher sensitivity and much lower specificity than the other two, therefore we established standardised cutoff values for the compared assays using receiver operated characteristic (ROC) curves. Using the standardised cutoff values, all three ELISAs produced comparable results with respect to sensitivity and specificity. Antibody development to non-structural proteins after infection and after vaccination/infection was not significantly different. Development of antibodies, however, both neutralising and directed to non-structural proteins, was significantly delayed after intranasal inoculation as compared to intradermolingual infection. Based on results of sera obtained after vaccination and experimental infection all three assays can be used for testing sera collected between 4 weeks and 6 months after infection. More information is needed on the prevalence of positive reactors in a situation where emergency vaccination has been used and FMD transmission was still observed.     

Performance characteristics and optimisation of cut-off values of two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays for the detection of antibodies to Neospora caninum in the serum of cattle

AIM: To determine the performance characteristics of two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) manufactured by Institut Pourquier (IP) for the detection of antibodies against Neospora caninum in bovine sera. METHODS: Sera from 526 cattle were assayed in two ELISAs (IP) for the detection of anti-N. caninum antibodies. Results from a further ELISA (IDEXX) were used to provide the "gold standard"N. caninum infection status of the cattle and the ELISA results assessed by two-graph receiver operating characteristic (TG-ROC) analysis. RESULTS: TG-ROC analysis suggested changes to one of the IP ELISA protocols, arriving at a cut-off threshold that was different to the one recommended by the manufacturer. With that change, both of the ELISAs performed with high sensitivity and specificity (in excess of 98%) for bovine sera. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis of the two IP ELISAs when used on individual bovine sera demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity. TG-ROC analyses optimised the cut-off point suggested by the manufacturer for one of these commercial diagnostic assays and found agreement with the manufacturer's cut-off regarding the other assay. This will help with the accurate identification of infected animals and thereby contributing to the control of neosporosis.     

Development of an Indirect ELISA for the Detection of Antibodies against Peste-des-petits-ruminants Virus in Small Ruminants

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is an acute, febrile, highly contagious and economically important viral disease of small ruminants. A polyclonal antibody based indirect ELISA was developed for detection of antibodies to PPR virus in the serum samples of goats and sheep using purified PPR viral antigen propogated in Vero cell culture. A threshold (cut-off) value was set as twice the mean of the negative population based on the distribution of known negative serum samples in respect of PPR virus antibodies in the test. A total of 1544 serum samples from goats and sheep were screened by indirect ELISA and competitive ELISA. The indirect ELISA compared very well with competitive ELISA, with a high degree of specificity (95.09%) and sensitivity (90.81%). When compared with virus neutralization test, the present assay had 100% specificity and 80% sensitivity. With serum samples, the assay could clearly differentiate animals from the infected population from uninfected ones. These results suggest that the indirect ELISA may be a good alternative tool to competitive ELISA for seroepidemiological surveys.     

羊伪结核棒状杆菌的分离鉴定及ELISA检测方法的建立

从疑似山羊干酪性淋巴结炎羊的肩前淋巴结脓肿内分离到2株菌,经鉴定均为羊伪结核棒状杆菌。利用羊伪结核棒状杆菌标准菌株(ATCC19410株)制成外毒素作为检测抗原,通过酶标抗体、阳性血清、外毒素抗原最适浓度的选择试验,确定适当的抗原、抗体和酶标抗体稀释浓度,建立了间接ELISA方法用于检测抗体。用建立的ELISA方法检测100份待检羊血清,其中阳性血清4份,阳性检出率为4％。     

Demonstration of antibodies against bovine leukemia virus (BLV) by blocking ELISA using bovine polyclonal anti-BLV immunoglobulin.

A blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of antibodies against bovine leukemia virus (BLV) is described. The test is based on the biotin-streptavidin system using unlabelled polyclonal bovine IgG against BLV as catching antibody and biotinylated bovine anti-BLV IgG as detecting antibody. The sensitivity was found to be 50-100 times higher than the agar gel immunodiffusion test, with a specificity of practically 100%. The blocking ELISA proved to be suitable for detection of antibodies against BLV in serum and milk. In 34 paired milk/serum samples, the average ratio of BLV antibody titres was 1:26. So far, more than 700,000 sera have been screened by blocking ELISA for BLV antibodies in the course of the Danish surveillance programme for BLV infection.     

A serological investigation of caseous lymphadenitis in four flocks of sheep

A double antibody sandwich ELISA developed by ID-DLO, Lelystad to detect Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection was used on 329 sheep from four pedigree Suffolk flocks in which clinical cases of caseous lymphadenitis (CLA) had occurred. At subsequent necropsy, typical CLA lesions were seen in 133 sheep, and the diagnosis was confirmed on culture. Lesions were most commonly seen in lungs (n = 46), parotid lymph nodes (n = 44), prescapular lymph nodes (n = 38) and mediastinal lymph nodes (n = 31). The sensitivity of the ELISA test for detecting culture-positive sheep was 0.88, while the specificity of the test was 0.55. The antibody ELISA detected 87.5 per cent of sheep that had CLA lesions restricted to internal organs only. It was concluded that the ELISA test has a valuable role in detecting sheep with both clinical and subclinical CLA.     

Preparation of Cathepsin L1 Monoclonal Antibody Against Fasclala gigantica and Establishment of Double Antibody Sandwich ELISA

【Objective】 This study was intend to obtain cathepsin L1(rFgCat L1) specific monoclonal antibody and construct the double antibody sandwich ELISA.【Method】 Five BALB/c mice were immunized with 1 mg/mL rFgCat L1 protein for four times.Mouse splenocytes were isolated and fused with SP2/0 cells to construct hybridoma cells.Strong positive hybridoma cell lines were screened, 1×10⁶ cells were injected intraperitoneally per mouse to prepare monoclonal antibodies.Antibody titer and antigenic epitope were detected using ELISA method, antibody subtype and specificity were identified using Western blotting method.The double antibody sandwich ELISA was constructed by combining the anti-rFgCat L1 polyclonal antibody, and its sensitivity and specificity were tested.The positive and negative critical value was screened by 20 negative sera with positive control, and the constructed double antibody sandwich ELISA was verified by 47 goat positive sera and 47 dairy cow positive sera.【Result】 After immunization, the antibody titers in serum of 4 mice were all more than 10⁴.After isolated mouse with the highest immune response spleen cells were fused with SP2/0 cells total of 8 of them were positive cell lines were obtained after selective culture.5D5 and 7G6 were identified as strong positive strains with stable antibody secretion.After multiple subcloning screens and subcultures, the antibodies secreted in the cell supernatant were stable, with titers of 2⁹ and 2¹⁰ respectively, with ascites titers of 10⁷ and 10⁸.Western blotting and antibody subtype identification kits identified that the two antibodies were IgG1 type and the light chain was kappa type, both of which could specifically bind FgESP.According to the same antigen site was recognized by the two kinds of antibodies, the antigen titer of the two monoclonal antibodies were comparied, 7G6 was used as the coating antibody, and anti-rFgCat L1 was used as the enzyme-labeled secondary antibody.The optimized condition of method was that 7G6 was coated at a concentration of 2 μg/mL, the dilution concentration of anti-rFgCat L1 polyclonal antibody was 25 μg/mL, the dilution of Don-HRP-conjugated was 1∶4 000, 5% skimmed milk powder was selected as the blocking solution and the color development time was 25 min.The method was proved that could recognize the lowest antigen concentration of 0.625 μg/mL, also could specifically recognize antigen of Fasciola fasciatus.The constructed sandwich ELISA method was used for antigen detection of 47 dairy cow positive serum and 47 goat positive serum infective samples kept in the laboratory and the positive antigen rate were 72.3% and 78.7%, respectively.【Conclusion】 Anti-rFgCat L1 monoclonal antibody was successfully prepared and the double-sheet sandwich ELISA method for fascioliasis was constructed, which provided a good theoretical basis and material basis for the development of low-cost and rapid diagnostic kits.     

非洲猪瘟病毒p30蛋白单克隆抗体的制备及阻断ELISA抗体检测方法的建立

为建立检测非洲猪瘟病毒(ASFV)抗体的阻断ELISA方法,本研究利用原核表达的ASFV p30重组蛋白免疫BALB/c小鼠制备单克隆抗体。以重组p30蛋白作为包被抗原,以辣根过氧化物酶(HRP)标记的p30单克隆抗体作为检测抗体,经条件优化,建立了一种检测ASFV抗体的阻断ELISA方法。ROC曲线分析显示,该方法最佳阻断率临界值为16.63%。该方法与CSFV、FMDV-O/A、PRRSV、PEDV、SVA的阳性血清均无交叉反应;最低能检出1∶128稀释的阳性血清;批内和批间变异系数(CV)均＜10%。用本方法与商品化试剂盒平行检测208份血清样品,Kappa值为0.96,表明具有高度一致性。上述结果表明,本研究建立的阻断ELISA方法具有较高的特异性和敏感性,可用于血清ASFV抗体的检测,为ASFV流行病学调查及猪群疫情监控提供技术支持。     

猪伪狂犬病病毒间接ELISA检测方法的建立

以纯化的PRV抗原为包被抗原,优化ELISA反应条件,建立了可检测PRV血清抗体的间接ELISA诊断方法。标定抗原的最佳包被量为0.802μg/mL,血清样品最佳稀释度为1∶100,最佳作用时间为60min,判定标准为OD 450nm值大于0.357为阳性,小于0.296为阴性,在0.296与0.357之间为可疑。该方法检测其他6种常见猪病病毒(CSFV、PCV-2、PRRSV、PPV、JEV、TGEV)的阳性血清均为阴性;与商品化ELISA试剂盒相比较,符合率、敏感性和特异性分别为90.0%、87.1%、92.3%。本研究建立的PRV间接ELISA抗体检测方法具有良好的重复性、敏感性和特异性,为PRV免疫猪群抗体监测、快速诊断和PR流行病学调查提供一种快速、简便的血清学诊断方法。     

Indirect ELISAs based on recombinant and affinity-purified glycoprotein E of Aujeszky's disease virus to differentiate between vaccinated and infected animals

Two indirect ELISAs for the detection of antibodies against glycoprotein E (gE) of Aujeszky's disease virus (ADV) in sera have been developed. The rec-gE-ELISA is based on the E. coli-expressed recombinant protein containing the N-terminal sequences of gE (aa 1-125) fused with the glutathione S-transferase from Schistosoma japonicum. The affi-gE-ELISA is based on native gE, which was purified from virions by affinity chromatography. The tests were optimised and compared with each other, as well as with the recently developed blocking gE-ELISA (Morenkov et al., 1997b), with respect to specificity and sensitivity. The rec-gE-ELISA was less sensitive in detecting ADV-infected animals than the affi-gE-ELISA (sensitivity 80% and 97%, respectively), which is probably due to the lack of conformation-dependent immunodominant epitopes on the recombinant protein expressed in E. coli. The specificity of the rec-gE-ELISA and affi-gE-ELISA was rather moderate (90% and 94%, respectively) because it was necessary to set such cut-off values in the tests that provided a maximum level of sensitivity, which obviously increased the incidence of false positive reactions. Though the indirect ELISAs detect antibodies against many epitopes of gE, the blocking gE-ELISA, which detects antibodies against only one immunodominant epitope of gE, showed a better test performance (specificity 99% and sensitivity 98%). This is most probably due to rather high dilutions of the sera used in the indirect gE-ELISAs (1:30) as compared to the serum dilution in the blocking gE-ELISA (1:2). We conclude that the indirect gE-ELISAs are sufficiently specific and sensitive to distinguish ADV-infected swine from those vaccinated with gE-negative vaccine and can be useful, in particularly affi-gE-ELISA, as additional tests for the detection of antibodies to gE.     

猪流行性腹泻病毒N蛋白阻断ELISA抗体检测方法的建立及初步应用

旨在建立一种猪流行性腹泻病毒(PEDV)N蛋白阻断ELISA抗体检测方法.本研究将纯化的N蛋白作为包被抗原,通过棋盘滴定法优化ELISA反应条件,建立了检测PEDV抗体的阻断ELISA方法,并对其进行特异性、敏感性和重复性试验.对140份临床血清样品进行检测,并将检测结果与市售IDvet PEDV间接ELISA抗体检测...     

Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for Bordetella avium

A Bordetella avium enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to detect serum antibodies in 1-day-old poults, experimentally infected turkeys, and naturally infected turkeys. The optimized procedure included use of a suspension of whole bacteria coated onto plastic microtiter plates, a 1:200 serum dilution, a 1:3200 dilution of commercially available goat anti-turkey IgG (heavy and light chain) conjugated with horseradish peroxidase, and 0.04% orthophenylenediamine as substrate. A sample/negative (S/N) ratio method of analysis was used to estimate antibody titer from absorbance values. The regression equation used to estimate antibody titers was derived from the testing of naturally infected turkey sera. The equation was derived by plotting the log10 titer of the sera against the S/N ratio at a 1:200 serum dilution. The ELISA was an effective method for detecting antibody to B. avium, and the procedure should prove useful for laboratories equipped for high-volume ELISA testing.