Measurement of immunoglobulin M (IgM), IgG, and IgA antibodies against Yersinia enterocolitica by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay: persistence of serum antibodies during disease

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Abstract
An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA] for the detection and quantitation of human immunoglobulin IgM, IgG and IgA antibodies [Ab] against Y. enterocolitica is described. Formalinized or heat-treated bacteria were adsorbed onto specially designed microcuvettes and Ab were allowed to attach to the antigen-coated cuvettes. Rabbit anti-human .mu., anti-human .gamma. and anti-human .alpha. antisera were allowed to react with human Ab and these class-specific anti-Ig were detected by alkaline phosphatase-labeled swine anti-rabbit IgG. A total of 423 sera were tested. The results obtained with the ELISA were compared with the results of the conventional tube agglutination test. Persistence of different Ab was studied in 6 patients. Ab of the IgM class persisted only for 1-3 mo. after onset of the disease; thus the occurrence of IgM-class Yersinia Ab in a single sample indicates a recently acquired infection. The persistence of the IgG- and IgA-class Ab was variable and not parallel with each other. All 3 patients in which the disease was complicated with arthritis had IgA-class Yersinia Ab at the end of the follow-up period of 9-14 mo. and in those without arthritis the IgA-class Ab disappeared within 3 mo. after onset of the disease.