Application of the quartz crystal microbalance to the monitoring of Staphylococcus epidermidis antigen-antibody agglutination.

The change in solution properties due to the agglutination of an antigen with its specific antibody has previously been used as a marker of infection. This method has been modified to allow the binding activity between species to be followed using the frequency response of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). The Bayston agglutination plate assay for Staphylococcus epidermidis has been modified to allow the electrode of a QCM to act as a direct sensor for the change in solution properties as agglutination occurs. Antibody and antigen were introduced to the crystal surface and the agglutination process was followed as a change in crystal resonant frequency. Serum, known to be infected with the organism, gave a titre of 3.9x10(-2)% v/v (-118 Hz, +/-12 SD, N = 9) matching that given by triplicate plate assay. Uninfected serum gave no frequency changes at this concentration, yielding a titre of 2.5x10(-2)% v/v again matching the plate titre (N = 3). Infected serum gave responses 40 times faster then those of the uninfected serum. The piezoelectric quartz crystal method gave a positive or negative diagnosis in <15 min compared with the 24 h required for the plate assay.