Use of whole Streptococcus pneumoniae cells as a solid phase sorbent for C-reactive protein measurement by ELISA.

Monolayers of pneumococcus (serotype 27) on flat bottom polystyrene microtiter plates were used as a solid phase sorbent for the determination of C-reactive protein (CRP) by ELISA. After binding to the monolayer, CRP was quantified with peroxidase conjugated rabbit anti-human CRP immunoglobulin. The method is sensitive (5 micrograms/ml), rapid (less than 2 h) and correlates well with a laser nephelometric assay (r = 0.95, P less than 0.001), and with a classical sandwich ELISA (r = 0.95, P less than 0.001).