A total of 349 human serum samples were examined for anti-Toxoplasma antibodies by the Murex Single Use Diagnostic System (SUDS) qualitative screening test, indirect hemagglutination assay (IHA), and indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Concordant results with SUDS and IHA were obtained for 91.9% of serum samples; 8.9% were SUDS+ and IHA-; none were SUDS- and IHA+. Comparison of the SUDS as...

We evaluated an indirect immunofluorescence assay based on virus-infected cells for detecting anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV) immunoglobulin (Ig) G antibody. All confirmed SARS cases demonstrated seroconversion or fourfold rise in IgG antibody titer; no control was positive. Sensitivity and specificity of this assay were both 100%. Immunofluorescence ass...

Stable mouse monoclonal hybridoma cell lines secreting antibodies against Listeria monocytogenes were produced. Antibodies from two of these cell lines (designated CL2 and CL17) have been partially characterised. The specificities of these antibodies were assessed using indirect immunofluorescence antibody tests and L monocytogenes (166 strains) grown in vitro, other species of Listeria (21 str...

The prevalence and associated factors of chronic uncomplicated strongyloidiasis were estimated among 200 consecutive elderly patients (aged >or= 60 years) admitted to a general hospital in northern Italy. One-hundred patients had a peripheral eosinophil concentration >or= 500 cells/microL (group A), and 100 were age- and gender-matched controls (group B). Measurements included serum IgG anti-St...

A total of 320 faecal specimens obtained from 295 patients (192 children and 103 adults) with diarrhoea and 47 faecal specimens from healthy adults were screened for Cryptosporidium oocysts. Faecal specimens were first screened by modified Ziehl Neelsen stain and specimens with oocysts were confirmed by direct immunofluorescence technique. Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in 4 children but...

n engl j med 369;12 nejm.org september 19, 2013 1178 325-bp ompA sequences revealed that the agent clustered with other R. sibirica subspecies and was most closely related to R. sibirica subspecies sibirica 246, which had been isolated from Dermacentor nuttalli in Russia (Fig. 1). In serum samples obtained from the patient, the titers of IgM and IgG antibodies against R. sibirica on indirect im...

Brazilian Spotted Fever (BSF) is an often fatal zoonosis caused by the obligate intracellular bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii. The disease is generally transmitted to humans by Amblyomma spp. ticks. Serological evidence of past infection by R. rickettsii has been reported in horses, but the pathogenicity of R. rickettsii in horses remains unknown. Cart horses are still widely used in urban and ...

An immune adherence hemagglutination (IAHA) test for the measurement of antibodies to Legionella pneumophila was developed and evaluated for the diagnosis of Legionnaires disease. Its sensitivity was compared to that of the indirect fluorescent antibody (IFA) test and a recently developed indirect hemagglutination (IHA) test. The sensitivity of the three tests appeared to be similar, with the I...

OBJECTIVE Th17 cells have been demonstrated to play an important role in the onset and development of primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS). In this study, we evaluated the expansion and clinical significance of circulating CD4+CD161+ T cell and its "effector" (CD4+CD25-CD161+ T cell) and "regulatory" (CD4+CD25+CD161+ T cell) subpopulations. METHODS Fifty-eight pSS patients and 16 healthy controls...

It was previously reported that a malaria infection may interfere with the specificity of a commercial ELISA test against Zika virus (ZIKV). We analyzed 1,216 plasma samples from healthy, pregnant women collected in two sites in Madagascar in 2010 for ZIKV antibodies using a commercial ELISA and for Plasmodium infection by PCR. This screen revealed six putative ZIKV-positive samples by ELISA. T...