This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Livingstone, M.
Right arrow Articles by Longbottom, D.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Livingstone, M.
Right arrow Articles by Longbottom, D.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, June 2005, p. 770-777, Vol. 12, No. 6
1071-412X/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CDLI.12.6.770-777.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Antibody Responses to Recombinant Protein Fragments of the Major Outer Membrane Protein and Polymorphic Outer Membrane Protein POMP90 in Chlamydophila abortus-Infected Pregnant Sheep

Morag Livingstone,1 Gary Entrican,1 Sean Wattegedera,1 David Buxton,1 Iain J. McKendrick,2 and David Longbottom1*

Moredun Research Institute, International Research Centre, Pentlands Science Park, Penicuik EH26 0PZ,1 Biomathematics and Statistics Scotland, King's Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ, United Kingdom2

Received 23 December 2004/ Returned for modification 22 March 2005/ Accepted 30 March 2005

Chlamydophila abortus is one of the major causes of infectious abortion in pregnant sheep (enzootic abortion of ewes or EAE) worldwide. Organisms shed in infected placentas and uterine discharges at lambing time are the main sources of environmental contamination, responsible for transmission to susceptible animals and possible human contacts. In the present study, a recently developed test, based on a recombinant fragment of the polymorphic outer membrane protein POMP90 (rOMP90-4 indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [iELISA]) and one based on the variable segment 2 (VS2) region of the major outer membrane protein (MOMP) (MOMP VS2 iELISA) were compared using sera from C. abortus-infected ewes at different stages throughout pregnancy. The rOMP90 iELISA detected antibody much earlier in pregnancy than the MOMP iELISA, which, like the complement fixation test, detected antibody only at the time of abortion or lambing. No anti-MOMP antibody response could be detected in three of seven experimentally infected ewes. Furthermore, the rOMP90 iELISA detected antibody in an animal that seroconverted during the course of the study, which the MOMP iELISA failed to detect. Overall, the results show that the rOMP90-4 iELISA is considerably more sensitive than the MOMP VS2 iELISA for identifying animals infected with C. abortus. Earlier detection of infection will allow appropriate control measures to be taken to reduce environmental contamination, thus limiting the spread of infection, financial losses, and the possible risks of zoonotic transmission to humans.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Moredun Research Institute, International Research Centre, Pentlands Science Park, Penicuik EH26 0PZ, United Kingdom. Phone: (44) 131 445 5111. Fax: (44) 131 445 6111. E-mail: David.Longbottom{at}mri.sari.ac.uk.

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, June 2005, p. 770-777, Vol. 12, No. 6
1071-412X/05/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CDLI.12.6.770-777.2005
Copyright © 2005, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.





Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»