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Related Experiment Videos

Importance of complement source in measuring meningococcal bactericidal titers.

G F Santos1, R R Deck, J Donnelly

  • 1Chiron Corporation, Emeryville, California, USA.

Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology
|May 1, 2001
PubMed
Summary

Bactericidal antibody titers protect against meningococcal disease. Assays using rabbit complement may overestimate protection, while assays using human complement, like the Goldschneider assay, are preferred for accurate assessment.

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Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Microbiology
  • Vaccinology

Background:

  • Complement-mediated bactericidal antibodies are crucial for protection against meningococcal disease.
  • The Goldschneider assay, using human complement, established protective antibody titers in the 1960s.
  • A standardized assay using rabbit complement is widely used but may inflate titer values.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare bactericidal antibody titers measured by a standardized assay (rabbit complement) with those from the Goldschneider assay (human complement).
  • To determine a protective threshold for the standardized assay that correlates with protective levels in the Goldschneider assay.
  • To evaluate the accuracy of different assays in identifying individuals with protective antibody levels against serogroup C meningococcus.

Main Methods:

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  • Comparison of serum bactericidal antibody titers against serogroup C Neisseria meningitidis.
  • Utilized both the Goldschneider assay (human complement) and a standardized international assay (rabbit complement).
  • Statistical analysis to determine the correlation between titers obtained from the two assays and predictive certainty.

Main Results:

  • A titer of ≥1:128 in the standardized assay was needed to predict an ≥80% certainty of a protective titer (≥1:4) in the Goldschneider assay.
  • Most samples with protective titers (≥1:4) in the Goldschneider assay had titers <1:128 in the standardized assay, indicating potential false categorization of susceptibility.
  • Up to 10% of US adults may lack intrinsic bactericidal activity and can serve as complement donors.

Conclusions:

  • High titers in the standardized assay (rabbit complement) predict protection but lack sensitivity and specificity compared to the Goldschneider assay.
  • The standardized assay may falsely categorize individuals with protective antibody levels as susceptible.
  • The Goldschneider assay or equivalent assays using human complement are preferred for accurate assessment of protective immunity against meningococcal disease.