Differentiation between active and inactive human brucellosis by measuring antiprotein humoral immune responses.

A preparation of Brucella abortus cytoplasmic proteins was depleted of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) by immunoadsorption with a monoclonal antibody (MAb), BC68, specific for the O antigen of B. abortus smooth LPS. Two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) systems were developed and used in this study. The first system includes an LPS-free cytoplasmic protein preparation; the second one was based on antigen capture on MAb BC68. By using these systems, we have demonstrated that 94% (33 of 35) of the brucellosis patients studied showed immunoglobulin G antiprotein response and also that all of the patients showed a strong anti-LPS reactivity. Thirty-six serologically positive individuals with no active infection at the time of examination (SPI) were also included. No immunoglobulin G antibodies against proteins were detected in 34 of them (92%), whereas 31 SPI (86%) showed various degrees of anti-LPS reactivity. The use of the LPS-free protein extract in ELISAs made it possible to establish differential reactivity patterns between active and inactive brucellosis.