Development and Validation of Multiplex Assays for Mouse and Human IgG and IgA to Neisseria gonorrhoeae Antigens

There is an urgent need for vaccines against Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the causative agent of gonorrhea. Vaccination with an outer membrane vesicle-based Neisseria meningitidis vaccine provides some protection from N. gonorrhoeae; however, the mechanisms underlying this cross-protection are unknown. To address this need, we developed multiplexed bead-based assays for the relative quantification of human and mouse IgG and IgA against N gonorrhoeae antigens. The assays were evaluated for analyte independence, dilutional linearity, specificity, sensitivity, intra- and interassay variability, and robustness to sample storage conditions. The assay was then used to test samples from mice and humans immunized with an N meningitidis outer membrane vesicle vaccine.