Novel enzyme immunoassay utilizing lipopolysaccharide-binding protein as a capture molecule for the measurement of chlamydial lipopolysaccharide in serum

Tiirola, Terttu; Jaakkola, Anne; Bloigu, Aini; Paldanius, Mika; Sinisalo, Juha; Nieminen, Markku S.; Silvennoinen-Kassinen, Sylvi; Saikku, Pekka; Jauhiainen, Matti; Leinonen, Maija

doi:10.1016/j.diagmicrobio.2005.09.001

« Previous Next »Diagnostic Microbiology & Infectious Disease
Volume 54, Issue 1 , Pages 7-12, January 2006

Novel enzyme immunoassay utilizing lipopolysaccharide-binding protein as a capture molecule for the measurement of chlamydial lipopolysaccharide in serum

Terttu Tiirola
- Department of Molecular Medicine, National Public Health Institute, Biomedicum, PO Box 104, FIN-00251 Helsinki, Finland
- Corresponding author. Fax: +358-9-4744-8960.
Anne Jaakkola
- Laboratory for Chlamydia and Respiratory Tract Bacteria, National Public Health Institute, PO Box 310, FIN-90101 Oulu, Finland
Aini Bloigu
- Laboratory for Chlamydia and Respiratory Tract Bacteria, National Public Health Institute, PO Box 310, FIN-90101 Oulu, Finland
Mika Paldanius
- Laboratory for Chlamydia and Respiratory Tract Bacteria, National Public Health Institute, PO Box 310, FIN-90101 Oulu, Finland
Juha Sinisalo
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Helsinki University Central Hospital, PO Box 340, FIN-00290 Helsinki, Finland
Markku S. Nieminen
- Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Helsinki University Central Hospital, PO Box 340, FIN-00290 Helsinki, Finland
Sylvi Silvennoinen-Kassinen
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Oulu, PO Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland
Pekka Saikku
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Oulu, PO Box 5000, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland
Matti Jauhiainen
- Department of Molecular Medicine, National Public Health Institute, Biomedicum, PO Box 104, FIN-00251 Helsinki, Finland
Maija Leinonen
- Laboratory for Chlamydia and Respiratory Tract Bacteria, National Public Health Institute, PO Box 310, FIN-90101 Oulu, Finland

Received 12 April 2005

Abstract

Chlamydia pneumoniae causes respiratory tract infections. It has a tendency to cause persistent infections, which have been associated with several chronic diseases (e.g., atherosclerosis). At present, there is no reliable method for the diagnosis of chronic C. pneumoniae infection. We developed a novel enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for the quantification of chlamydial lipopolysaccharide (cLPS) in human serum. Serum cLPS was solubilized with detergent and then captured by LPS-binding protein (LBP). LBP–LPS complexes were bound to the solid phase with anti-cLPS monoclonal antibody, and the bound complexes were detected with anti-LBP antibodies. The new method was used to quantify serum cLPS in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients (n = 102) and their healthy controls. cLPS was detected in 77.5% of ACS patients and in 52% of controls (P < .001) with geometric mean concentrations of 1.87 and 0.61 μg/mL (P < .001), respectively. The novel cLPS EIA method will provide a potential diagnostic tool for C. pneumoniae infection.

Keywords: Chlamydia pneumoniae, Enzyme immunoassay, Chlamydial lipopolysaccharide, LPS-binding protein