Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect antibodies in gonorrhea using whole cells

The choice of an antigen that will adequately differentiate between infected and non-infected patients has been a problem in detecting gonococcal antibodies for diagnosis. We have used the sensitive technique of ELISA to test various serotypes of Neisseria gonorrhoeae for their suitability as antigens. Whole cells of each serotype were attached to polystyrene plates using poly-L-lysine, N gonorrhoeae, strain H1 type 1 was used to detect antibodies in patients with known clinical history and then as a standard to evaluate the ability of different serotypes to differentiate between infected and non-infected groups.