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Quantifying serum antiplague antibody with a fiber-optic biosensor
G P Anderson1, K D King, L K Cao
1Center for Bio/Molecular Science and Engineering, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, D.C., USA. ganderson@cbmse.nrl.navy.mil
Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology
|September 8, 1998
Summary
A novel fiber-optic biosensor can now quantify serum antiplague antibodies using a competitive assay. This method accurately measures antibody concentrations, aiding in plague exposure assessment and potentially other infectious diseases.
Area of Science:
- Biomedical Engineering
- Immunology
- Infectious Disease Diagnostics
Background:
- Fiber-optic biosensors are established tools for detecting biological agents like toxins and bacteria.
- Previous applications focused on antigen detection; quantifying serum antibodies was not yet demonstrated.
- Plague diagnostics often rely on antibody detection for assessing infection or exposure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate and validate the use of a fiber-optic biosensor for quantifying serum antiplague antibodies.
- To establish a competitive assay method for accurate antibody concentration measurement.
- To assess the biosensor's potential for broader diagnostic applications.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a fiber-optic biosensor system.
- Employed a competitive assay format to measure antibody concentrations.
- Validated results against enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for 11 unknown serum samples.
Main Results:
- Successfully quantified serum antiplague antibodies in the range of 2 to 15 microgram/ml.
- Determined antibody concentrations in unknown samples with good agreement to ELISA.
- Demonstrated the competitive assay's reliability for antibody quantification.
Conclusions:
- The fiber-optic biosensor, via a competitive assay, is effective for quantifying serum antiplague antibodies.
- This method offers a viable tool for assessing human or animal exposure to plague.
- The assay's adaptability suggests potential applications for diagnosing other antibody-mediated infections like hepatitis or AIDS.