DEVELOPMENT OF AN ENZYME-LINKED-IMMUNOSORBENT-ASSAY FOR DETECTION OF ANTIBODIES TO BABESIA-BIGEMINA IN CATTLE

Citation
Jb. Molloy et al., DEVELOPMENT OF AN ENZYME-LINKED-IMMUNOSORBENT-ASSAY FOR DETECTION OF ANTIBODIES TO BABESIA-BIGEMINA IN CATTLE, Parasitology research, 84(8), 1998, pp. 651-656
Citations number
14
Language
INGLESE
art.tipo
Article
Categorie Soggetti
Parasitiology
Journal title
ISSN journal
0932-0113
Volume
84
Issue
8
Year of publication
1998
Pages
651 - 656
Database
ISI
SICI code
0932-0113(1998)84:8<651:DOAEFD>2.0.ZU;2-4
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies, directed against a 58-kDa Babesia bigemina mero zoite antigen that reacted strongly with immune sera from experimental ly and naturally infected cattle in Western blots, were used to develo p a competitive-inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). As based on the testing of 70 antibody-positive sera from experimental ly infected cattle and 166 antibody-negative sera collected in nonende mic areas of Australia, the sensitivity and specificity of the ELISA w ere 95.7% and 97.0%, respectively. In sequential sera collected from s ix calves during the course of experimental B. bigemina infections the ELISA detected seroconversion at about 10 days post-inoculation. The specificity of the ELISA was not affected by the presence of antibodie s to B. bovis, Anaplasma marginale or Theileria buffeli. In 42 sera fr om cattle experimentally infected with B. bovis but negative for B, bi gemina the specificity of the ELISA was 95.2%. The use of a competitiv e-inhibition ELISA format detecting only antibody directed against a s ingle epitope on the 58-kDa antigen appears to have overcome many of t he specificity problems that have plagued serological tests for B. big emina in the past. The test should be useful for epidemiology studies, particularly in areas where B, bovis and B. bigemina have overlapping distributions.