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Updated: May 31, 2026
Capsular Serotyping of Streptococcus pneumoniae by Latex Agglutination
Published on: September 25, 2014
Evaluation of serotype-specific pneumococcal IgG measurement using two different polysaccharides from ATCC and SSI
Hans-Christian Slotved1, Bjørn Kantsø, Mette B Kerrn
1Department of Microbiological Surveillance and Research, Statens Serum Institut, Orestads Boulevard 5, DK-2300 Copenhagen, Denmark. hcs@ssi.dk
Insights
This study compared pneumococcus polysaccharide antigens from different suppliers for antibody assays. Both SSI Diagnostica and ATCC antigens performed similarly, validating their use in pneumococcal serotyping.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Microbiology
- Vaccinology
Background:
- Streptococcus pneumoniae causes significant global morbidity and mortality, particularly in vulnerable populations.
- Over 90 pneumococcal serotypes are known, each expressing unique capsular polysaccharides.
- Accurate serotype-specific antibody measurement is crucial for assessing vaccine efficacy and disease burden.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the performance of purified serotype-specific pneumococcal polysaccharide antigens from SSI Diagnostica and ATCC.
- To evaluate the impact of different adsorption procedures on pneumococcal antibody assay results.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of pneumococcal polysaccharide antigens from SSI Diagnostica and ATCC.
- Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for measuring pneumococcal antibodies.
- Testing various adsorption combinations, including CWPSmulti and CWPS+22F.
Main Results:
- Purified pneumococcal polysaccharide antigens from both SSI Diagnostica and ATCC demonstrated comparable utility as antigens in antibody assays.
- Different adsorption procedures, specifically CWPSmulti and CWPS+22F, yielded similar results, indicating robustness in assay methodology.
Conclusions:
- Both SSI Diagnostica and ATCC pneumococcal polysaccharide antigens are suitable for use in antibody detection assays.
- The choice of adsorption method (CWPSmulti or CWPS+22F) does not significantly impact assay outcomes, suggesting flexibility in protocol standardization.
Abstract:
Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality especially in infants and elderly people. Pneumococcus capsular polysaccharide has been characterised and more than 90 different serotypes have been identified. Serotype-specific antibodies against the capsular polysaccharide are produced during infection. At present, many countries follow the WHO pneumococcal ELISA IgG measurement protocol, in which polysaccharides from ATCC are used as antigens. In recent years, serotype specific polysaccharides from different producers have been tested in pneumococcal antibody assay's. In this project, purified serotype specific pneumococcal antigens from SSI Diagnostica and from ATCC were compared. In general, the data showed that both types of polysaccharide could be used as antigens. Furthermore, the effect of adsorption using different combinations of adsorption procedures was tested, showing similar results using CWPSmulti or CWPS+22F.
