DOT-ELISA FOR DETERMINATION OF SERUM ANTIBODIES AGAINST STAPHYLOCOCCUS-AUREUS LIPASE, ALPHA-TOXIN, AND TEICHOIC-ACID

The study evaluates a dot-ELISA technique for determination of the serum IgG response to three S. aureus antigens (lipase, alpha-toxin, teichoic acid) in comparison with a conventional ELISA. Titers were measured in 448 routine serological samples of adult patients. Of all samples tested, 32% were positive for at least one antigen in ELISA and 34% were positive for at least one antigen in dot-ELISa. The most often positive single antigen assay in dot-ELISA as well as in ELISA was the determination of antibodies to alpha-toxin, followed by lipase, and then by teichoic acid. The best combination of two antigens in dot-ELISA was alpha-toxin and teichoic acid, positive in 93% of the sera and in ELISA the best combination was lipase and alpha-toxin (91% positive samples). The concordance between two immunoenzymatic assays for IgG antibodies determination was 71·6% for lipase, 70·5% for alpha-toxin and 63·4% for teichoic acid. Dot-ELISA is a promising technique for determination of antibody response to staphylococcal antigens. This method is simpler and requires less sophisticated equipment than conventional ELISA. Dot-ELISA may thus be used interchangeably with ELISA in small diagnostic laboratories. © 1990.