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Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, September 2001, p. 904-908, Vol. 8, No. 5
Focus Technologies, Cypress,
California,1 and Reference
Immunodiagnostic Laboratory, Division of Parasitic Diseases, Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta,
Georgia2
Received 8 March 2001/Returned for modification 17 May
2001/Accepted 7 June 2001
A Toxoplasma gondii immunoglobulin G (IgG) avidity
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed that combines
the accuracy of assays based on end point titers and the relative ease
of assays based on optical density values. Like published procedures,
the new assay's avidity index (AI) was based on differential T.
gondii-specific IgG reactivity in serum-treated wells washed with urea buffer versus that in wells washed with control buffer; unlike previous assays, however, the IgG reactivity was measured quantitatively using a standard curve. The assay was evaluated using 24 IgG-positive and IgM-positive sera collected within 5 months of
the onset of symptoms (recent-infection group) and 25 IgG-positive and
IgM-negative sera (past-infection group). All sera in the
recent-infection group exhibited AI values of <0.18, whereas all sera
in the past-infection group exhibited AI values of >0.27. The AI
values of the recent-infection group showed significant correlation
with the number of days after the onset of symptoms. A subset of 16 sera (8 recent and 8 past) was tested using a commercially available
T. gondii IgG avidity ELISA based on end point
titration; the results of the two assays showed highly significant
correlation (R2 = 0.9125). In addition,
we confirmed and extended the findings of other investigators, showing
that AI values calculated using optical density values, but not AI
values calculated using quantitative IgG values, varied significantly
depending on the serum dilution used. This new assay should facilitate
the accurate measurement of T. gondii IgG avidity in a
reference laboratory setting.
1071-412X/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.8.5.904-908.2001
Copyright © 2001, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.
Simplified Assay for Measuring Toxoplasma
gondii Immunoglobulin G Avidity
*
Corresponding author. Mailing address: Focus
Technologies, 5785 Corporate Ave., Cypress, CA 90630. Phone: (714)
503-2047. Fax: (714) 484-1296. E-mail:
hprince{at}focusanswers.com.
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