Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of antibodies to Pseudomonas aeruginosa exoproteins.

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were developed with four purified Pseudomonas aeruginosa extracellular proteins (exotoxin A, elastase, alkaline protease, and phospholipase C) to determine antibody levels in sera from healthy subjects and the serological response in patients colonized or infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Five of 39 burn patients with wounds colonized by Pseudomonas aeruginosa had elevated antibody titers to alkaline protease. Response to the other antigens was found in only a few patients. Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections (septicemia, osteitis, pneumonia etc.) resulted in increased antibody levels to exotoxin A or phospholipase C in 15 of 22 patients. These findings suggest that repeated determinations of antibodies to Pseudomonas aeruginosa exotoxin A and phospholipase C might be used to monitor therapy in certain patients with osteitis and other deep Pseudomonas infections.