Recombinant antigens rLipL21, rLoa22, rLipL32 and rLigACon4-8 for serological diagnosis of leptospirosis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in dogs.
Abstract: Animal leptospirosis is one of the most common zoonotic diseases in the United States and around the world. In a previous study, we applied four recombinant antigens, rLipL21, rLoa22, rLipL32 and rLigACon4-8 of Leptospira interrogans (L. interrogans) for the serological diagnosis of equine leptospirosis (Ye et al, Serodiagnosis of equine leptospirosis by ELISA using four recombinant protein markers, Clin. Vaccine. Immunol. 21:478-483). In this study, the same four recombinant antigens were evaluated for their potential to diagnose canine leptospirosis by ELISA. A total of 305 canine sera that were Leptospira microscopic agglutination test (MAT)-negative (n = 102) and MAT-positive (n = 203) to 5 serovars (Pomona, Grippotyphosa, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola and Hardjo) were tested. When individual recombinant antigens were used, the sensitivity and specificity of ELISA were 97.5% and 84.3% for rLigACon4-8; 89.7% and 81.4% for rLoa22; 92.6% and 84.3% for rLipL32 and 99.5% and 84.3% for rLipL21, respectively compared to the MAT. The sensitivity and specificity of ELISA were, 92.6% and 91.2% for rLigACon4-8 and rLipL32, 97.5% and 84.3% for rLigACon4-8 and rLipL21, 89.7% and 87.3% for rLigACon4-8 and rLoa22, 89.7% and 87.3% to rLipL21 and rLoa22, 92.6% and 91.2% for rLipL21 and rLipL32 and 89.2% and 94.1% for rLoa22 and rLipL32 when one of the two antigens was test positive. The use of all four antigens in the ELISA assay was found to be sensitive and specific, easy to perform, and agreed with the results of the standard Leptospira Microscopic Agglutination test (MAT) for the diagnosis of canine leptospirosis.
Publication Date: 2014-12-19 PubMed ID: 25526513PubMed Central: PMC4272274DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111367Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
- Research Support
- U.S. Gov't
- Non-P.H.S.
- Animal Health
- Animal Models
- Antibodies
- Antigen
- Comparative Study
- Diagnosis
- Diagnostic Technique
- Disease Diagnosis
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)
- Epidemiology
- Immunology
- Infectious Disease
- Leptospira
- Microscopic Agglutination Test
- Public Health
- Serodiagnosis
- Veterinary Medicine
- Veterinary Research
- Veterinary Science
- Zoonotic Diseases
Summary
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The research addresses the use of four recombinant antigens, previously utilized for equine leptospirosis, in diagnosing this disease in dogs using an Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA). Results showed promising sensitivity and specificity rates, demonstrating a potential efficient method for diagnosing canine leptospirosis.
Introduction to Leptospirosis and its Diagnosis
- Leptospirosis is a frequent zoonotic disease in the US and globally, affecting both animals and humans. It results from an infection with Leptospira interrogans (L. interrogans), a bacterial pathogen.
- Diagnosing this condition is often conducted using the Leptospira Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT), which requires a significant amount of time and resources.
- A previous study demonstrated the efficiency of four recombinant antigens (rLipL21, rLoa22, rLipL32, and rLigACon4-8) in diagnosing equine leptospirosis using ELISA. As a result, this study aims to ascertain the potential of these antigens in diagnosing canine variety.
Evaluating the Antigens for Canine Leptospirosis Diagnosis
- A total of 305 canine serum samples were tested, both MAT-negative and MAT-positive for 5 Leptospira serovars (Pomona, Grippotyphosa, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Canicola, and Hardjo).
- Each recombinant antigen was used to test these samples individually, and the sensitivity and specificity of ELISA were computed.
- The antigens demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity rates: 97.5% and 84.3% for rLigACon4-8, 89.7% and 81.4% for rLoa22, 92.6% and 84.3% for rLipL32, and 99.5% and 84.3% for rLipL21.
Combining the Antigens for Diagnosis
- The researchers also evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of different combinations of the antigens.
- Combinations of two antigens showed slightly varied levels of sensitivity and specificity. The sensitivity ranged from 89.2% to 97.5%, and specificity ranged from 87.3% to 94.1%.
- The usage of all four antigens in the ELISA test showed it to be sensitive, specific, and easier to execute. Furthermore, its results matched with those of the standard MAT.
Conclusion
- These findings suggest that using these four recombinant antigens for ELISA can potentially diagnose canine leptospirosis effectively. It provides a faster, simpler alternative to the standard MAT.
- Future studies will further validate these antigens as diagnostic tools for leptospirosis in other animals. This can potentially pave the way to enhanced disease control and prevention strategies for various species.
Cite This Article
APA
Ye C, Yan W, Xiang H, He H, Yang M, Ijaz M, Useh N, Hsieh CL, McDonough PL, McDonough SP, Mohamed H, Yang Z, Chang YF.
(2014).
Recombinant antigens rLipL21, rLoa22, rLipL32 and rLigACon4-8 for serological diagnosis of leptospirosis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays in dogs.
PLoS One, 9(12), e111367.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0111367 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America; School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, China; Department of Pathogenic Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America.
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America; Veterinary Institute, Guangdong Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Guangzhou, China.
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America; Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America; Guizhou Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Medicine, Guizhou Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Longdongbao, Guiyang, China.
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America.
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America.
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America.
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America.
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America.
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America.
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China.
- Department of Population Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Antigens, Bacterial / blood
- Dogs
- Leptospira interrogans / genetics
- Leptospira interrogans / immunology
- Leptospirosis / veterinary
- Serogroup
- Serologic Tests / methods
Conflict of Interest Statement
Competing Interests: The co-author, Yung-Fu Chang is a PLOS ONE Editorial Board member. This does not alter the authors\' adherence to PLOS ONE Editorial policies and criteria. The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
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