Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 27, 2025
Rapid Diagnosis of Avian Influenza Virus in Wild Birds: Use of a Portable rRT-PCR and Freeze-dried Reagents in the Field
Published on: August 2, 2011
Bird fancier's lung serodiagnosis by automated r-IgLL1 ELISA
Adeline Rouzet1, Emeline Scherer1, Coralie Barrera1
1Department of Parasitology-Mycology, University Hospital of Besancon, Besancon, France; Chrono-Environment Research Team UMR/CNRS-6249, University of Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Besancon, France; Referent Biology Medical Laboratory for the serological diagnosis of hypersensitivity pneumonitis, LBMR-PHS, University Hospital of Besancon, France.
Context:
Bird fancier's lung (BFL) is the most prevalent form of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) worldwide. The current techniques used for the serological diagnosis of BFL all use crude extracts from feathers, droppings, and blooms as test antigens, which is associated with a lack of standardization and variability of the results. An antigenic protein, immunoglobulin lambda-like polypeptide-1 (IgLL1), isolated from pigeon droppings, was recently identified to be associated with BFL. We used genetic engineering to produce IgLL1 as a recombinant antigen.
Aim:
We aimed to prospectively validate the use of an automated ELISA based on recombinant IgLL1 protein (r-IgLL1) as the test antigen for the serological diagnosis of BFL.
Methods:
Immunoprecipitation (IP) techniques (immunodiffusion (ID), immunoelectrophoresis (IEP)) and ELISA using r-IgLL1 were performed concomitantly over 10 months on 634 sera from patients with a BFL serodiagnosis request. Questionnaires were sent to obtain details on the avian exposure, clinical data, and final diagnosis. Concordance, sensitivity (Se), and specificity (Sp) of the two techniques were compared.
Results:
In total, 72 completed questionnaires were returned with 18 cases of BFL diagnosed and 54 of non-BFL. The concordance between the ELISA and ID+IEP precipitation techniques was 71%. The combination of immunoprecipitation techniques showed a Se of 78% and a Sp of 67%. The ELISA using r-IgLL1 showed a Se of 89% and a Sp of 91%. The automated r-IgLL1 ELISA test is sufficiently efficient to be used alone for the diagnosis of patients exposed solely to Columbidae. In cases of other avian exposure, the Se and Sp of the r-IgLL1 ELISA used for screening combined with the immunodiffusion test for confirmation were 89% and 93%, respectively.
Conclusions:
The automated ELISA using r-IgLL1 is a promising tool for BFL serodiagnosis. Replacing immunodiffusion by the automated ELISA using r-IgLL1 as a screening technique will be the basis of our future strategy for BFL serodiagnosis.
More Related Videos
07:54Author Spotlight: Rabies-Specific Antibody Isotypes Detection in Sera or Cerebral Spinal Fluid Using an IFA Test
Published on: January 19, 2024
08:01Detection of Invasive Pulmonary Aspergillosis in Haematological Malignancy Patients by using Lateral-flow Technology
Published on: March 22, 2012