Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay for Immunological Diagnosis of Human Tularemia

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Abstract
The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was applied for immunological diagnosis of human tularemia using lipopolysaccharide from Francisella tularensis as antigen. Sera collected from patients, healthy individuals and vaccinated volunteers were investigated for antibodies against F. tularensis by ELISA and tube agglutination. In ELISA, all sera were titrated with a polyspecific anti-Ig enzyme conjugate. A limited number of consecutive sera from individual patients were also investigated for IgG and IgM antibodies by Ig class-specific conjugates. On an average, ELISA was more than 10-fold as sensitive as tube agglutination. By 2 wk after onset of disease, sera from patients had significantly higher titers in ELISA than sera from healthy controls. High titers persisted after more than 2 yr. Significant amounts of IgG and IgM antibodies were present within 1-2 wk after infection. The antibody activity increased during the 1st mo. with no significant change of the relation between IgG and IgM titers. After 2.5 yr, the IgG/IgM titer ratio of sera from patients was significantly increased. Within 6 wk after vaccination, sera from about half of the vaccinees had significantly elevated titers in ELISA. Titers observed after vaccination were generally lower than those found after infection. An elevated ELISA titer can be of diagnostic importance by the end of the 1st wk of illness. A significant increase of titer in consecutive serum samples indicates a diagnosis of tularemia. Determination of IgG and IgM antibodies may be of value in determining whether a positive titer of a single serum sample is of longstanding or recent origin.