Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, September 1999, p. 686-689, Vol. 6, No. 5
1071-412X/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Servicios de Dermatología1 and Neumología,3 Hospital Universitario "Dr. José Eleuterio González," Monterrey, Nuevo León, México, and National Reference Centre for Tuberculosis, Laboratory Centre for Disease Control, Health Canada, Ottawa, Canada K1A OL22
Received 12 November 1998/Returned for modification 8 March 1999/Accepted 20 May 1999
A simple dot blot test with diacyltrehalose (DAT) as the antigen was developed to detect anti-DAT antibodies in tuberculous patients. To enhance antigen-antibody reaction detection, rabbit serum raised against human immunoglobulins was used prior to incubation with a protein A-colloidal gold complex. With the dot blot system, it was possible to obtain a sensitivity similar to that of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a specificity of 97.14%, versus a specificity of 94.29% by the ELISA. We conclude that this simple and fast assay could be used in places where ELISA equipment is not easy available and that it might also be applicable with other Mycobacterium tuberculosis immunogenic antigens.
| Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. | Clin. Microbiol. Rev. | Infect. Immun. |
|---|---|---|
| J. Clin. Microbiol. | J. Virol. | ALL ASM JOURNALS |