Seropositivity rates of water channel protein 4 antibodies compared between a cell-based immunofluorescence assay and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in neuromyelitis optica patients

A total of 66 samples （from 27 cases with neuromyelitis optica, 26 cases with multiple sclerosis, aa 13 cases with optic neuritis） were tested for aquaporin-4 antibody by a cell-based immunofluorescence assay and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The sensitivities and specificities of the two assays were similar. We further analyzed an additional 68 patients and 93 healthy controls using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A Kappa test showed good consistency between the two methods in terms of detection of anti-aquaporin-4 antibody in the se of neuromyelitis optica patients. No significant correlations were identified with onset age or disea duration, suggesting that aquaporin-4 antibody is a good marker for neuromyelitis optica. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay can be used for quantifying aquaporin-4 antibody concentrations and may be useful to dynamically monitor changes in the levels of aquaporin-4 antibody during disease duration.

Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay for Detection of Anti-idiotype Antibodies to Antibodies to Ligand of Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor in Sera of Patients with Myasthenia Gravis

Anti-bungarotoxin anti-serum,which has the internal image of nicotinicacetylcholine receptor,was used as a tool to measure anti-idiotypic antibodies toantibodies to Iigand of nicotinic acctylcholine receptor in scra from 81 patients withmyasthenia gravis.Enzyme-linked immunosorbcnt assay was adopted.Thc positive ratewas 46.9%(38/81).The specific cross inhibitory test with nicotinic acetylcholinereceptor was positive.Anti-idiotype antibodies to antibodies to ligand of nicotinicacetylcholine receptor in sera of different types of myasthenia gravis patients classified ac-cording to modified Osserman’s standard and myasthenia gravis patients with or withoutthymoma were comparcd in this study and the role of anti-idiotype antibodies toantibodies to Iigand of nicotinic acctylcholinc receptor in the immunity of myasthcniagravis and the possibility of thcrapeutic use of anti-idiotype antibodies arc discussed.

Determnation of ochratoxin A in grain by monoclonal antibody－based enzyme－linked immunosorbent assay

The simple rapid and sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods, di-rect and indirect ELISA, for quantitation of ochratoxin A in cereal had been developed by theutilization of monoclonal antibody on immunomicroplate. Direct FLIAS was found to be less timeconsuming than indirect ELISA. For direct FLISA, recovery of 1 -500 ppb OA added to wheat was78.9-100.0% and rice was 88.9- 120.0%. For indirect EI.IAS, recovery of 1-500 ppb OA addedto wheat was 79.0- 110.0% and rice was 82.0 120.0%. The minimal detection level for OA was Ippb. Analyses of 31 samples that caused humanintoxicant for OA showed that the ELISA resultsagreed wtll with those obtained by thin-layer chromatogrdphy.

Establishment of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for beef and lamb contents in cooked meat

In this study,an enzyme 1linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)was established to detect beef and 1amb components,and its performance was tested.Double-antibody sandwich ELISA was adopted and determined a coating concentration of capture antibody 3G5 of 1:4000,a working concentration of enzyme-labeled antibody 2E7-horseradish peroxidase(HRP)of 1:1000,a sample incubation time of 60 min and a detection antibody reaction time of 60 min.The specificity,sensitivity,repeatability and stability of this assay were detemmined.The limit of detection for beef and 1amb skeleta1 muscle troponin I was 45 mg/kg,the inter-assay and intra-assay recovery rates ranged from 80.4%to 115.7%,the coefficients of variation were below 13.6%,and the cIoss reaction rates of the tissue components of chicken,duck and fish were below 13.4%.The sandwich ELISA method established in this study is stable and has high accuracy.The test results were consistent with the polymerase chain reaction(PCR)method at 50 and 100 g/kg-Therefore,this ELISA method can be used to quantitatively detect beef and 1amb components in meat products.

Development of Monoclonal Antibody-based Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay to the Estrogen Diethylstilbestrol

Diethylstilbestrol （DES） is a synthetic estrogen that has ever been used worldwide. Polyclonal antibodies （PAbs） were used in immunoassay for detection of DES residues in environmental and agricultural samples in previous paper. In this paper, an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （icELISA） was developed based on monoclonal antibody （MAb） for the determination of diethylstilbestrol. Mono-o-carboxypropyldiethylstilbestrol （DES-CP） and mono-o-carboxymethyldiethylstilbestrol （DES-CME） were synthesized to be haptens. DES-CP was coupled to bovine serum albumin （BSA） to be an immunogen in BALB/c female mouse for MAb production. The MAb was characterized for specificity and affinity to DES in icELISA. Under the optimum condition, the icELISA showed an ICs0 of 9.8 ng/mL, the limit of detection （IC20） of 2.3 ng/mL and a working range of 2-42 ng/mL. Hexestrol and dienestrol exhibited cross-reactivity values were 44% and 27%, respectively. Cross-reactivity of natural estrogen 17β-estradiol was less than 0.1%. The influences of some factors such as salt concentration, pH and organic solvent concentration on the assay were evaluated. The concentrations of DES in the fortified water samples determined by the assay were correlated well with the fortification levels. The results were conf＇m＇ned with analysis by HPLC.

Microcystin-LR detection based on indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Microcystins(MCs)are a group of closely related toxic cyclic heptapeptides produced by common cyanobacte-ria,which cause lots of accidents and threatens human health.In this paper,an indirect competitive enzyme-linked immu-nosorbent assay(ic-ELISA)was established and used to detect microcystin-LR(MC-LR)in drinking and surface waters.The concentration of coating antigen was 5 mg/mL,the dilution of monoclonal antibody MC10E7 was 1:3000,the dilution of enzyme tracer(goat anti-mouse IgG-peroxidase)was 1:3000,the standard concentration of MC-LR ranged from 0.001 mg/L to 30 mg/L,and o-phenylenediamine was used as substrate.The assay showed high relativity with high performance liquid chromatography(HPLC)with a correlation coefficient of more than 99%.The relative standard deviation was less than 10%,the detection limit was achieved down to 0.01 mg/L and up to 5.1 mg/L.The quantitative detection range was from 0.03 mg/L to 3 mg/L,and the antibody had high specificity for[4-arginine]microcystins.It performed well in spite of the influence of the real samples.

人C-反应蛋白磁微粒化学发光酶免疫测定法的建立

人C-反应蛋白(C-reactive protein,CRP)是炎症以及各种相关疾病如病毒感染、心血管疾病等诊断、治疗和预后的临床检测指标。为了建立一种快速、准确的CRP定量免疫测定方法,将表达纯化的重组CRP作为抗原免疫小鼠,获得了5株稳定分泌抗体的单克隆抗体细胞株,采用双抗体夹心酶联免疫吸附测定法(double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay,DAS-ELISA)初步鉴定筛选的抗人CRP单克隆抗体,并分别选择mAb 9D6和mAb 9G4作为捕获抗体与检测抗体,建立用于人CRP检测的化学发光酶免疫测定法(chemiluminescence enzyme immunoassay,CLEIA),最后通过测定分析临床血清CRP样本,评价CLEIA的性能。结果显示,基于9D6/9G4-AP单克隆抗体对的CLEIA测定范围为0.1767~500μg/L(可扩展至100 mg/L);所建立的CLEIA与医院采用的免疫散射比浊法(R^(2):0.9496,P<0.0001)表现出良好的相关性,且Bland-Altman分析中96.36%(106/110)的点在95%一致性界限范围内显示两种检测方法具有较好的一致性。结果初步表明,建立的分析方法在临床诊断中具有较好的应用前景。

Preparation and Application of Monoclonal Antibodies Specific for Salicylic Acid

Salicylic acid (SA) is widely distributed in many monocots and dicots and has many physiological effects. It can induce heat production in the thermogenic inflorescences of Arum lily([1]), block the biosynthesis of ethylene, and more attractively, it seems to be an important natural signal molecule in the induction of systemic acquired resistance (SAR) in tobacco, cucumber and other plants([2,3]). Studies in recent years showed that SA was also intimately related to the resistance of plants to aboitic stress, for example, SA increased chilling resistance of maize seedlings. Hence, SA has been accepted as a kind of new plant hormones. Up to date, the quantification of SA usually has been performed by HPLC[4,5], which often needs a large quantity of sample and a verbose pretreatment. Compared to HPLC, immunoassays, including radio-immunoassays (RIA) and enzyme-immunoassays (EIA), are easy to perform and have been widely used in the quantification of other plant hormones, such as IAA([6]), ABA([7,8]), GAs([9]), cytokinins et al([10]), and jasmonic acid (JA)([11]), and other low-molecular-weight, none-immunogenic compounds in plants([12]). Till now, only an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for SA based on polyclonal antibodies (PAbs) has been developed by our group([13]), although Bennett et al([14]) had prepared SA PAbs using 4-aminosalicylic acid linked to KLH as immunogen in goat. However, the sensitivity of the ELISA we established formerly was relatively low, and also relatively larger quantity of sample is needed than other ELISAs for plant hormones. In this paper, an ELISA for SA based on monoclonal antibody raised against SA-NH-CH2-NH-KLH was introduced, and the fluctuation of SA content in cucumber leaves after inoculated with Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae was determined.

Expression and identification of recombinant soluble single-chain variable fragment of monoclonal antibody MC3

AIM: To generate soluble single chain variable fragments (ScFv) of monoclonal antibody MC3 recognizing colorectal and gastric carcinomas. METHODS: mRNA was isolated from the hybridoma cell line producing MC3 and the DNAs encoding variable domains of heavy and light chains (VH and VL) of the antibody were amplified separately by RT-PCR and assembled into ScFv DNA with a linker DNA. The ScFv DNA was ligated into the phagemid vector pCANTAB5E and the ligated sample was transformed into E.coli TG1.The transformed cells were infected with M13KO7 helper phage to yield recombinant phages. After two rounds of panning with gastric carcinoma cell line AGS highly expressing MC3-binding antigen, the phage clones displaying ScFv fragments of the antibody were selected by ELISA. 4 phage clones showing strong signal in ELISA were used to infect E.coli HB2151 to express soluble ScFvs. The soluble ScFvs were identified by Dot blot and Western blot, and their antigen-binding activity was assayed by ELISA. The VH and VL DNAs of the ScFv DNA derived from phage clone 19 were sequenced. RESULTS: The VH,VL and ScFv DNAs were about 340 bp, 320 bp and 750 bp respectively. After two rounds of panning to the recombinant phages, 18 antigen-positive phage clones were selected from 30 preselected phage clones by ELISA. All the soluble ScFvs derived from the 4 out of the 18 antigen-positive phage clones were about M(r)32000 and concentrated in periplasmatic space under the given culture condition. The soluble ScFvs could bind the antigen, and they shared the same binding site with MC3. The sequences of the VH and VL DNAs of the MC3 ScFv showed that the variable antibody genes belonged to the IgG1 subgroup,kappa-type. CONCLUSION: The soluble ScFv of MC3 is successfully produced, which not only provides a possible novel targeting vehicle for in vivo and in vitro study on associated cancers, but also offers the antibody a stable genetic source.

Highly Sensitive and Specific Monoclonal Antibody-Based Serological Methods for Rice Ragged Stunt Virus Detection in Rice Plants and Rice Brown Planthopper Vectors

Rice ragged stunt virus（RRSV） is a serious rice disease in Asia, causing serious yield losses on rice. The capsid protein（CP） gene of the major outer capsid protein of RRSV was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21（DE3） using the pMAL-C2 X expression vector. The recombinant protein was used as the immunogen to immunize BALB/c mice. A hybridoma cell line 8A12 secreting monoclonal antibody（MAb） against RRSV was obtained by fusing mouse myeloma cells（Sp 2/0） with spleen cells from the immunized BALB/c mice. Western blot analysis showed that the MAb 8A12 can specifically react with RRSV CP. Using the MAb, an antigen-coated-plate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（ACP-ELISA）, a dot enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay（dot-ELISA）, and immunocapture-RT-PCR（IC-RT-PCR） assay were developed to detect RRSV. The established ACP-ELISA, dot-blot ELISA and IC-RT-PCR methods could detect RRSV in infected rice tissue crude extracts with dilutions of 1：40 960, 1：1 280 and 1：655 360（w/v, g mL-1）, respectively. The ACP-ELISA and dot-blot ELISA methods could detect RRSV in infected insect vector crude extracts with dilutions of 1：12 800 and 1：1 600（an individual planthopper μL-1）, respectively. The field survey revealed that Rice ragged stunt disease occurs on rice in Hainan, Yunnan, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, Fujian, Hunan, Jiangxi and Zhejiang in China.

Development of Anti-Isoproturon Polyclonal Antibody

A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA） suitable for the determination of the urea herbicide isoproturon, 3-（4-isopropylphenyl）-l,l-dimethylurea, in food and environmental samples was developed. Two haptens named 1-（3- carboxypropyl）-3-（4-isopropylphenyl）-1-methylurea （hapten 4C） and 1-（5-carboxypentyl）-3-（4-isopropylphenyl）-1- methylurea （hapten 6C） were synthesized. The haptens were coupled to bovine serum albumin （BSA） and ovalbumin （OVA）, respectively, using the N-hydroxysuccinimide reaction. The hapten 6C-BSA conjugate was used as the immunogen, with which a high-titer anti-isoproturon polyclonal antibody （pAb） was successfully obtained by immunization of New Zealand white rabbits. The hapten 4C-OVA conjugate was used as coating antigen and a method of the indirect competitive ELISA for isoproturon was established. The haptens were confirmed with TLC, IR, and 1H NMR. The conjugation molar ratios of hapten 4C to OVA and hapten 6C to BSA were 36：1 and 46：1, respectively, as calculated by a UV spectrophotometry. The highest titer of the anti-isoproturon sera determined by a non-competitive indirect ELISA procedure was 1.6 × 10^5. The optimal concentrations of the coating antigen and the dilution of the anti-isoproturon sera used in the ELISA were 0.1 mg·L^-1 and 1.0 × 10^5, respectively. The concentration of isoproturon that inhibits 50% of antibody-antigen binding （IC50） was 0.07 mg·mL^-1. The cross-reactivities of six urea herbicides including chlorbromuron, fluometuron, monolinuron were lower than 0.1%. Isoproturon is a small molecule without immune activity and active functional group for attaching to carrier protein. To produce an antibody against isoproturon with high titer and high specificity is the most important step in the development of an immunochemical method for the determination of isoproturon in food and environmental samples. The two haptens synthesized in this study have carboxyl groups and accommodate different lengths of spacer arms, and the phenyl and isopropyl groups are fully exposed. An anti-isoproturon polyclonal antibody with high titer and high specificity was successfully obtained by immunization of rabbits with the conjugate of the hapten attached to the protein carrier.

Recent Developments in SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibody Detection Methods

The ongoing Coronavirus disease 19 pandemic has likely changed the world in ways not seen in the past.Neutralizing antibody(NAb)assays play an important role in the management of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2(SARS-CoV-2)outbreak.Using these tools,we can assess the presence and duration of antibody-mediated protection in naturally infected individuals,screen convalescent plasma preparations for donation,test the efficacy of immunotherapy,and analyze NAb titers and persistence after vaccination to predict vaccine-induced protective effects.This review briefly summarizes the various methods used for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 NAbs and compares their advantages and disadvantages to facilitate their development and clinical application.

Development of ELISA and immunochromatographic assay for ofloxacin

Two rapid, sensitive and reliable immunoassay methods, namely competitive indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CI-ELISA) and colloidal gold-based immunochromatographic assay (CGIA), were developed to detect ofloxacin (OFL). The linear range of the CI-ELISA was from 0.5 to 128 ng/mL with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.35 ng/mL. Good recoveries were obtained in analyzing simulated swine urine samples. The CGIA could accurately estimate OFL at concentrations as low as 10 ng/mL in less than 10 min, and test results were read visually without any instrument.

Detection of anti-Helicobacter pyloriantibodies in serum and duodenal fluid in peptic gastroduodenal disease

AIM:To study the diagnosis of Helicobacter pylori(H pylori) infection through the determination of serum levels of anti- H pylori IgG and IgA antibodies,and the levels of anti-H pylori IgA antibodies in duodenal fluid. METHODS:Data were collected from 93 patients submitted to upper digestive endoscopy due to dyspeptic symptoms. The patients were either negative(group A)or positive (group B)to H pylori by means of both histological detection and urease tests.Before endoscopy,peripheral blood was collected for the investigation of anti-H pylori IgG and IgA antibodies.To perform the urease test,biopsies were obtained from the gastric antrum.For the histological evaluation,biopsies were collected from the gastric antrum (greater and lesser curvatures)and the gastric body. Following this,duodenal fluid was collected from the first and second portions of the duodenum.For the serological assaying of anti-Hpylori IgG and IgA,and anti-Hpylori IgA in duodenal fluids,the ELISA method was utilized. RESULTS:The concentration of serum IgG showed sensitivity of 64.0%,specificity of 83.7%,positive predictive value of 82.0%,negative predictive value of 66.6% and accuracy of 73.1% for the diagnosis of H pylori infection.For the same purpose,serum IgA showed sensitivity of 72.0%, specificity of 65.9%,positive predictive value of 72.0%, negative predictive value of 67.4% and accuracy of 69.8%. If the serological tests were considered together,i.e.when both were positive or negative,the accuracy was 80.0%, sensitivity was 86.6%,specificity was 74.2%,positive predictive value was 74.2% and negative predictive value was 86.6%.When values obtained in the test for detecting IgA in the duodenal fluid were analyzed,no significant difference(P=0.43)was observed between the values obtained from patients with or without H pylori infection. CONCLUSION:The results of serum IgG and IgA tests for H pylori detection when used simultaneously,are more efficient in accuracy,sensitivity and negative predictive value, than those when used alone.The concentration of IgA antibodies in duodenal fluid is not useful in identifying patients with or without H pylori.

Application of Current Hapten in the Production of Broad Specificity Antibodies Against Organophosphorus Pesticides

Diethylphosphono acetic acid （DPA） was used as a current hapten to generate broad specificity polycolonal antibodies against a group of organophosphorus pesticides. Six New Zealand white rabbits were immunized with immunogens synthesized by the active ester method （AEM） or 1-ethyl-3-（3-dimethylaminopropyl）-carbodimide method （EDC）. The titers of antisera reached 25 600 by AEM and 6 400 by EDC, respectively. Polyclonal antibodies raised against DPA were screened and selected for the competitive indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay （CI-ELISA）. A CI-ELISA for DPA was developed with a detection limit of 3.536 ng mL^-1and an I50 value of 0.182 μg mL^-1. The assay specificity was evaluated by obtaining competitive curves for several structurally related compounds as competitors. The antiserum showed high affinities to chlorpyrifos, diazinon, omethoate, parathion-ethyl and profenofos with I50 of 0.12, 0.15, 0.21, 0.88, 0.97 and 2.5 μg mL^-1, respectively. The results indicate that the assay could be a screening tool for quantitation and semiquantitation determination of the above former five organophosphorus pesticides.

Novel CagA ELISA exhibits enhanced sensitivity of Helicobacter pylori CagA antibody

AIMTo develop a novel Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) CagA antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) suitable for detecting serum anti-CagA antibodies with high sensitivity.METHODSRecombinant East Asian-type CagA protein was purified and immobilized for ELISA. Serum samples from 217 Vietnamese individuals (110 H. pylori-infected and 107 uninfected individuals) were applied. Conventional ELISA from Western-type CagA and our East Asian-type CagA ELISA were evaluated by comparing 38 subjects with the Western-type genotype and 72 subjects with the East Asian-type cagA genotype. Histological scores of the gastric mucosa were determined using the updated Sydney System to examine the relationship with anti-CagA antibody titers.RESULTSRecombinant 70-100 kDa fragments were immobilized on the ELISA plate. In ROC analysis, the area under the curve of our East Asian-type CagA ELISA was comparable to that of conventional CagA ELISA. The sensitivity of the two ELISAs differed depending on the cagA genotype. The sensitivity of East Asian-type CagA ELISA was higher for subjects infected with East Asian-type cagA H. pylori (P &#x0003c; 0.001), and the sensitivity of the conventional CagA ELISA tended to be higher for subjects infected with Western cagA H. pylori (P = 0.056). The titer of anti-CagA antibody tended to correlate with monocyte infiltration scores (r = 0.25, P = 0.058) and was inversely correlated with H. pylori density (r = -0.26, P = 0.043).CONCLUSIONThe novel ELISA is useful to detect anti-CagA antibodies in East Asian countries, and the titer may be a marker for predicting chronic gastritis.

Production and Characterization of Monoclonal Antibodies to Bluetongue Virus

In the present study,a total of 24 MAbs were produced against bluetongue virus (BTV) by polyethyleneglycol (PEG) mediated fusion method using sensitized lymphocytes and myeloma cells. All these clones were characterized for their reactivity to whole virus and recombinant BTV-VP7 protein,titres,isotypes and their reactivity with 24 BTV-serotype specific sera in cELISA. Out of 24 clones,a majority of them (n = 18) belong to various IgG subclasses and the remaining (n = 6) to the IgM class. A panel of eight clones reactive to both whole BTV and purified rVP7 protein were identified based on their reactivity in iELISA. For competitive ELISA,the clone designated as 4A10 showed better inhibition to hyperimmune serum of BTV serotype 23. However,this clone showed a variable percent of inhibition ranging from16.6% with BTV 12 serotype to 78.9% with BTV16 serotype using 24 serotype specific sera of BTV originating from guinea pig at their lowest dilutions. From the available panel of clones,only 4A10 was found to have a possible diagnostic application.

Three sensitive and reliable serological assays for detection of potato virus A in potato plants

Vegetative propagation of seed potato often allows passaging of viruses to seed tubers,resulting in significant yield losses and reduction of potato tuber quality.Thus,virus detection approach is crucial for effective virus management programs and the production of virus-free seed potatoes.Among the reported potato-infecting viruses,potato virus A(PVA)is considered as one of the most important viruses in potato-growing regions worldwide.This study prepared four hybridoma lines secreting PVA-specific monoclonal antibodies(MAbs)(2D4,8E11,14A6 and 16H10)using purified PVA virions as an immunogen.Western blotting results indicated that all the four MAbs reacted strongly and specifically with the putative capsid protein of PVA.Using these four MAbs,this study developed antigen-coated plate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ACP-ELISA),Dot-ELISA and Tissue print-ELISA for detection of PVA infection in potato plants.The results indicated that PVA can be detected in crude tissue extracts from infected potato plants diluted up to 1:327680(w/v,g m L^(-1))by ACP-ELISA or up to1:10240 by Dot-ELISA.The Tissue print-ELISA is the quickest and easiest approach among the three serological assays,and is more suitable for onsite large-scale potato screening programs.Further analyses of field-collected potato samples showed that the sensitivities and specificities of the three serological approaches were similar to those of RT-PCR in PVA detection and confirmed that PVA is currently widespread in Yunnan and Zhejiang provinces of China.Hence,the results strongly suggest that these highly sensitive serological approaches based on PVA-specific MAbs are useful and powerful for PVA-free seed potato production programs and PVA field surveys.

Evaluation by indirect immunofluorescent assay and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay of the dynamic changes of serum antibody responses against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus

Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) is a newly emerging virus that gives rise to SARS patients with high rates of infectivity and fatality. To study the humoral immune responses to SARS-CoV, the authors evaluated IgG and IgM specific antibodies in patients’ sera.Methods Two methods, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and indirect immunofluorescent assay (IFA), were used to detect specific serum IgG and IgM against SARS-CoV in 98 SARS patients and 250 controls consisting of patients with pneumonia, health-care professionals and healthy subjects. The serum antibody profiles were investigated at different times over one and a half years in 18 of the SARS patients. Results The sensitivity and specificity of ELISA for detecting IgG against SARS-CoV were 100.0% and 97.2% and for IgM 89.8% and 97.6% respectively; the figures using IFA for IgG were 100.0% and 100.0% and for IgM 81.8% and 100.0% respectively. During the first seven days of the antibodies trace test, no IgG and IgM were detected, but on day 15, IgG response increased dramatically, reaching a peak on day 60, remaining high up to day 180 and decreasing gradually until day 540. On day 15, IgM was detected, rapidly reached a peak, then declined gradually until day 180 when IgM was undetectable. Conclusion The detection of antibodies against SARS virus is helpful in the clinical diagnosis of SARS.

Characterization of Monoclonal Antibody to L-Homocysteic Acid and Its Immunohistochemistry in Rat Hippocampus

L-homocysteic acid (HCA) and other amino acids were conjugated to rat brain material (extracted rat brain protein) with glutaraldehyde to form HCA- and amino acids-brain material conjugates. The specificity of monoclonal antibody (McAb) was tested on serial dilution test and absorption test on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using these conjugates as antigens instead of amino acids-BSA (bovine serum albumin) conjugates used previously. The characterized McAb was applied for immunohistochemical staining using PAP (peroxidase antiperoxidase) technique in combination with silver enhancement of diamino-benzene (DAB) products. The results indicated that McAb to L-HCA reacted with L-HCA-brain material conjugates, but not with other amino acids-brain material conjugates so far tested. McAb absorbed with L-HCA-brain material abolished or decreased immunoreactivity of L-HCA-brain material with McAb. The antibody selectively stained subpopulation of cells and processes in the hippocampus fixed with glutaradehyde. Absorption of McAb with L-HCA-brain material abolished immunohistochemical staining. These results suggested that McAb was specific for L-HCA-brain materials and could be used for imunohistocytochemistry. This would provide a new tool for immunohistochemical visualization and localization of L-HCA in the nervous system.