Background: The infection with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) addects 50% percent of the world population. By colonizing the human stomach, the bacteria cause gastritis in all infected individuals. 10 – 15% of H. pylori positive individuals develop ulcer disease and 1 – 2% gastric cancer. Both, strain-specific virulence and host factors influence the course of disease. While timely eradication of the pathogen is the most effective way to prevent development of gastric cancer, it is uncertain which infected individuals are at risk and require treatment.

The performance of immunoassays for the detection of autoantibodies is of critical importance to the diagnosis and assessment of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Our objective was to compare 3 multiplexed assays for measurement of multiple autoantibodies and their association with global disease activity, active nephritis and cumulative organ damage in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Stored sera, clinical and laboratory data from the enrollment visit of a long-term lupus registry were used. Autoantibodies were measured using the BioPlex 2200 ANA screen (Bio-Rad), QuantaPlex ENA8 (INOVA Diagnostics) and recomLine ANA/ENA (Mikrogen). The analytes included dsDNA, chromatin, ribosomal P protein, SS-A/Ro60, Ro52, SS-B/La, Sm, U1-RNP, centromere B, topoisomerase 1 and Jo-1 (histidyl tRNA synthetase). Global SLE disease activity was measured by the SLE disease activity index (SLEDAI) and cumulative organ damage by the SLICC/ACR damage index (SDI). One hundred ninety two patients (87% female; 91% Caucasian; mean disease duration 8.8 years) were studied. Agreement between the 3 assays varied from 70% to 99% (Cohen's kappa: 0.04–0.88). There were significant associations between SLEDAI scores (excluding anti-dsDNA) and ANA (INOVA, Mikrogen), anti-dsDNA (Bio-Rad, Mikrogen), anti-chromatin (Bio-Rad, INOVA), anti-Ro (Mikrogen), anti-Sm and anti-U1-RNP (all 3 immunoassays) (p = 0.002–0.05). Concurrent lupus nephritis was associated with anti-dsDNA (Bio-Rad (p = 0.017) or Bio-Rad and Mikrogen together (p = 0.015)). There was no significant association between autoantibodies and SDI scores. The overall agreement between assays for the detection of autoantibodies was reasonable. The greatest discordance (70–83%) occurred with those autoantibodies most strongly associated with global SLE disease activity (ANA, anti-dsDNA, anti-chromatin and anti-Sm). Furthermore, there were differences between assays in their associations with global SLE disease activity and lupus nephritis.

The prevalence of herpes simplex virus (HSV) type-specific IgG was determined in sera taken in 1999 to 2006 from 1,100 children aged 0–18 years, 800 blood donors and 200 pregnant women in Thuringia, Germany, using tests based on the HSV glycoproteins (g) gG. By the age of 10–12 years, HSV-1 IgG prevalence reached 57.3%, rising to 69.3% by the age of 16–18 years and to 78.0% by the age of 28–30 years. Between 2.7% and 4.7% of the children aged up to 15 years had HSV-2 antibodies, increasing to 7.3% at the age of 16–18 years and to 13.6% among adults. The prevalence of HSV-1 antibodies among girls was significantly lower than among boys and a significantly higher prevalence of HSV-2 IgG in women than in men was detected. The reduced incidence of HSV-1 infections during childhood, especially in girls, has to be followed up since a higher number of primary HSV-2 infections may result. Between 2.7% and 4.7% of all children tested seemed to acquire HSV-2 by intrauterine or neonatal infection. We also compared the use of gG-1 with gC-1: the agreement of 97.2% between the two ELISAs suggests that gG-1 and gC-1 can be considered equivalent antigenic targets.

A Sauerbrei (Andreas.Sauerbrei@med.uni-jena.de)1, S Schmitt2, T Scheper3, A Brandstädt4, S Saschenbrecker3, M Motz5, E Soutschek5, P Wutzler1 1. Institute of Virology and Antiviral Therapy, German Reference Laboratory for HSV and VZV, Jena University Clinic, Jena, Germany 2. SanofiPasteur MSD, Leimen, Germany 3. Institute of Experimental Immunology (affiliated to Euroimmun AG), Lübeck, Germany 4. Institute of Medical Statistics, Computer Sciences and Documentation, Jena University Clinic, Jena, Germany 5. Mikrogen, Neuried, Germany

Chlamydia trachomatis is the most common sexually transmitted organism In Industrialized countries. Nucleic acid amplification testing, using non-invasively collected specimens, is considered to be the method of choice for diagnosis of chlamydial infections of the urethra and the lower genital tract. Serological testing has the potential to circumvent the problem of specimen sampling in invasive C. trachomatis infections of the upper genital tract. However, only a few defined chlamydial antigens have been used in a standardized diagnostic assay format. In this study, we used serological two-dimensional proteomic analysis to broaden the spectrum of diagnostically relevant C. trachomatis proteins. The genes encoding an assortment of already known chlamydial antigens, as well as immunogenic proteins that have not been described before, were cloned, and the recombinant proteins were purified in order to compare their diagnostic usefulness in parallel with a newly developed line immunoassay. With 189 sera collected from patients with and without C. trachomatis infection, recombinant major outer membrane protein (MOMP), chlamydial protease-like activity factor (CPAF), outer membrane protein 2 (OMP2), translocated actin-recruiting protein, and polymorphic membrane protein D (PmpD) showed the highest level of diagnostic sensitivity and specificity. In patients suffering from ascending and invasive C. trachomatis infections, such as pelvic inflammatory disease and lymphogranuloma venereum, the sensitivity reached with these proteins ranged between 71% (PmpD) and 94% (OMP2), and the specificity ranged between 82% (PmpD) and 100% (MOMP and OMP2). Recombinant thio-specific antioxidant peroxidase, ribosomal protein S1 (RpsA) and hypothetical protein 17 showed lower sensitivity but comparably high specificity, ranging from 94% to 100%. The novel line immunoassay based on defined recombinant antigens has promise for improved serodiagnosis in severe and invasive C. trachomatis infections.

ABSTRACT To improve serodiagnostic methods for the diagnosis of acute toxoplasmosis during pregnancy, a new test system has been developed and evaluated based on the use of recombinant antigens. Five recombinant Toxoplasma gondii antigens (ROP1, MAG1, SAG1, GRA7, and GRA8) were cloned in Escherichia coli, purified, and applied directly onto nitrocellulose membranes in a line assay (recomLine Toxoplasma). A panel of 102 sera from 25 pregnant women with supposed recent toxoplasmosis and from two symptomatic children was compared to a panel of 71 sera from individuals with past infection. Both panels were analyzed using a recombinant line assay for immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgM, and IgA antibodies and a reference enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Within the IgM-positive samples, antibodies against ROP1 were predominant regardless of the infection state. In IgG analysis a characteristic antibody pattern was found for very recent infections. This pattern changed to a different one during the time course of infection: antibodies against GRA7 and GRA8 were characteristic for very early IgG, whereas antibodies against SAG1 and MAG1 appeared significantly later. These results were further confirmed by determination of the IgG antibody avidity for every single recombinant antigen. In the time course of infection, IgG antibodies against the early recognized antigens matured significantly earlier than those directed against the later antigens did. The IgA patterns did not give reliable information about the infection time points. The data revealed that the recombinant line assay provides valuable information on the actual state of infection, especially during the early infection time points.

The present invention relates to the field of virus diagnostics, in particular the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) diagnostics. There are provided improved methods for the detection of EBV and to suitable means. There are disclosed by p18-VCA-derived peptides which permit discrimination between acute and past EBV infection.

Five immunodominant Treponema pallidum recombinant polypeptides (rTpN47, rTmpA, rTpN37, rTpN17, and rTpN15) were blotted onto strips, and 450 sera (200 from blood donors, 200 from syphilis patients, and 50 potentially cross-reactive) were tested to evaluate the diagnostic performance of recombinant Western blotting (recWB) in comparison with in-house whole-cell lysate antigen-based immunoblotting (wclWB) and T. pallidum hemagglutination (MHA-TP) for the laboratory diagnosis of syphilis. None of the serum specimens from blood donors or from potential cross-reactors gave a positive result when evaluated by recWB, wclWB, or MHA-TP. The evaluation of the immunoglobulin G immune response by recWB in sera from patients with different stages of syphilis showed that rTmpA was the most frequently identified antigen (95%), whereas only 41% of the specimens were reactive to rTpN37. The remaining recombinant polypeptides were recognized as follows: rTpN47, 92.5%; rTpN17, 89.5%; and rTpN15, 67.5%. The agreement between recWB and MHA-TP was 95.0% (100% with sera from patients with latent and late disease), and the concordance between wclWB and MHA-TP was 92.0%. The overall concordance between recWB and wclWB was 97.5% (100% with sera from patients with secondary and late syphilis and 94.6 and 98.6% with sera from patients with primary and latent syphilis, respectively). The overall sensitivity of recWB was 98.8% and the specificity was 97.1% with MHA-TP as the reference method. These values for sensitivity and specificity were slightly superior to those calculated for wclWB (sensitivity, 97.1%, and specificity, 96.1%). With wclWB as the standard test, the sensitivity and specificity of recWB were 98.9 and 99.3%, respectively. These findings suggest that the five recombinant polypeptides used in this study could be used as substitutes for the whole-cell lysate T. pallidum antigens and that this newly developed recWB test is a good, easy-to-use confirmatory method for the detection of syphilis antibodies in serum.

The genes coding for the outer surface protein A (OspA) of 19 different Borrelia burgdorferi strains belonging to the seven OspA-serotypes 1–7, previously described [Wilske et al. (1993) J Clin Microbiol, 31: 340–350], have been investigated. B. burgdorferi sensu lato strains were chosen from various biological sources (ticks, human skin and cerebrospinal fluid) as well as different geographical origins (Germany, Slovenia, Austria, United States). The open reading frames of all ospA genes consist of 819–825 nucleotides corresponding to proteins of approximately 30 kDa. The ospA sequences obtained in this study and previous published studies were compared with the results from OspA serotyping with monoclonal antibodies. The classification into the seven OspA serotypes could be confirmed on a genetic basis (ospA genotypes 1–7) for all strains analyzed so far (n=29). In addition, one strain without OspA expression could be assigned to ospA genotype 2. Genetic stability could be proven for the ospA gene of B. burgdorferi strain PWudI after inocculation and reisolation from a gerbil. However, we found evidence for intragenic recombination by cluster analysis of ospA sequence data. Accordance of ospA genotype 1 strains with B. burgdorferi sensu stricto and ospA genotype 2 strains with B. afzelii, as well as the ospA genotype strains 3–7 with B. garinii was confirmed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis of MluI-digested genomic DNA. B. garinii is not only more heterogenous in respect to the OspA-encoding genes, but shows moreover major subgroups formed by genotypes 4, 5 and 6 and genotypes 3 and 7, respectively. The latter group has not been described previously and is specifically recognized by an OspA-specific monoclonal antibody L32 1F7.

It has been shown by analysis with monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies that outer surface protein C (OspC) of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato is highly heterogeneous. To determine if the heterogeneity has a genetic basis, the genes of 18 different B. burgdorferi sensu lato strains have been amplified by PCR, cloned, and sequenced. The ospC genes could be amplified from all strains tested, even from two strains which did not express OspC in detectable amounts. Among the 18 strains, 16 significantly different types of ospC sequences have been found. The sequence identities of the deduced amino acid sequences of different ospC genotypes range between 62 and 80% (determined without the leader peptide). The sequences range between 62 and 80% (determined without the leader peptide). The sequences correspond to one of the 13 OspC types distinguishable by analysis with monoclonal antibodies (B. Wilske, S. Jauris-Heipke, R. Lobentanzer, I. Pradel, V. Preac-Mursic, D. Roessler, E. Soutschek, and R. C. Johnson, J. Clin. Microbiol. 33:103-109, 1995) or represent additional types. Two completely new types were found, and OspC type 8 (which was found in Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii) could be divided into two groups with different sequences but the same antibody pattern. Thus, strains belonging to different species or OspA serotypes were always significantly different in their ospC sequences. This was also confirmed by ospA sequence analysis. Interestingly, some strains of the same OspA serotype or genotype were very heterogeneous with respect to OspC, while others had nearly identical OspC proteins. Such groups of strains were found among B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, B. afzelii, and B. garinii strains. Cluster analysis of 5'-terminal and 3'-terminal stretches of ospC suggested recent intragenic recombination events in the ospC gene at least one B. afzelii strain. In addition, other recombination events between ancestors of strains belonging to the same or different species were evidenced by this type of analysis.

Molecular analyses of the genes encoding OspC, a major immunodominant protein of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, revealed a considerable degree of heterogeneity. In the present study, we investigated whether a similar heterogeneity of the OspC phenotype can be shown by analysis with monoclonal antibodies (MAbs). Thirteen OspC-specific MAbs (L22 MAbs) were produced by immunizing mice with either different combinations of whole-cell antigens or recombinantly expressed OspCs cloned from strains belonging to different Borrelia spp. Ten of them differed in their reactivities with various strains. Western blot (immunoblot) analyses of 38 B. burgdorferi sensu lato strains resulted in 13 different reactivity patterns. These 13 different patterns were observed among only six different OspA serotypes, indicating that OspC is more heterogeneous than OspA. Patterns 1 to 4 were present only in B. burgdorferi sensu stricto, patterns 5 to 7 were present only in Borrelia afzelii, and patterns 9 to 13 were present only in Borrelia garinii. Pattern 8 was observed among B. afzelii and B. garinii strains but not among B. burgdorferi sensu stricto strains. One L22 MAb (2B8) recognized a common OspC-specific epitope of all 38 B. burgdorferi sensu lato strains analyzed, and another one (22C11) recognized a common epitope of OspC from both B. afzelii and B. garinii and was not reactive with OspC from B. burgdorferi sensu stricto. Western blot and sequence analysis of truncated OspCs located the 22C11 epitope as well as a species-specific sequence motif between amino acids 20 and 35. Other broadly reactive L22 MAbs were 10D3, 1F8, and 7G5. Some L22 MAbs (1C3, 1C3, 12E5, 1B11, 1F10, and 6C8) bound to epitopes present only in a few strains. Relapsing fever borreliae (Borrelia hermsii, Borrelia turicatae, and Borrelia duttoni) were nonreactive, with the following exception: three L22 MAbs (2B8, 6C4, and 10C5) recognized an abundantly expressed 20-kDa-range protein of B. turicatae. Because OspC is an immunodominant protein during the early immune response in Lyme borreliosis and has been shown to be effective as a vaccine in an animal model, our findings have important implications for the development of diagnostic reagents as well as vaccine research.

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain the subject new polypeptide useful as an antigen used for an immunological test for hepatitis C virus or a helicase protein, consisting of a region of non-structural protein of the hepatitis C virus and having a foreign amino acid sequence. SOLUTION: This polypeptide has an amino acid sequence containing an amino acid sequence expressed by the formula, derived from a non structural protein 3 (NS-3) region of hepatitis C virus, consisting of (1207±10)-(1488±10) amino acid sequence of the hepatitis C virus, containing ≤20 foreign amino acids, and useful as an antigen used in an immunological test of the hepatitis C or as a helicase protein. The polypeptide is obtained by using an NS3 clone containing a gene information from the NS-3 region, cloning the NS-3 by using a pair of primers consisting of a part of a base sequence thereof in a PCR method, incorporating the obtained DNA into an expression vector, and expressing the polypeptide in a host cell. COPYRIGHT: (C)1996,JPO

Immunodominant proteins are variable in molecular and antigenic structure among different genospecies of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. We have recently developed an immunoblot using five recombinant antigens: the chromosomal-encoded B. burgdorferi proteins p 100, the flagellin and an internal flagellin fragment thereof, and the plasmid-encoded outersurface proteins A (OspA) and C (OspC). In the present study the same antigens (derived from strain PKo, genospecies B. afzelii) were compared with the homologous recombinant proteins from strain B31 (genospecies B. burgdorferi sensu stricto) and with OspA, OspC and the internal flagellin fragment from strain PBi (genospecies B. garinii). Patients with neuroborreliosis (n=28) and patients with acrodermatitits chronica atrophicans (n=20) were investigated in the IgG immunoblot; the IgM immunoblot was performed only in patients with neuroborreliosis. There was a small increase in the detection rate of OspA-specific IgG or IgM antibodies using the different variants of recombinant OspA; however, OspA remained an insensitive antigen for antibody detection in Lyme borreliosis. The same was true to OspC-specific IgG antibodies. The sensitivity of OspC, which is the immunodominant antigen for IgM antibody detection, could not be increased using recombinant antigens derived from different strains. However, some sera which were negative in the recombinant immunoblot reacted with OspC in the conventional immunoblot using B. burgdorferi whole cell lysate as antigen. The most unexpected finding was the high degree of immunological heterogeneity of the internal flagellin fragments: IgG antibodies were detected in 18 of 48 patients using B31 fragments, in 25 of 48 using PKo fragments, in 23 of 48 using PBi fragments versus 33 of 48 when the three recombinant proteins were combined. PKo-derived fragments were more sensitive for antibody detection in patients with acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans, B31- and PBi-derived fragments for antibody detection in patients with neuroborreliosis. This is in agreement with the fact that isolates from patients with neuroborreliosis are predominantly belonging to the genospecies B. burgdorferi sensu stricto and B. garinii. For detection of IgM antibodies in sera from patients with neuroborreliosis, recombinant internal fragments derived from strains B31 and PBi were more sensitive than the PKo-derived fragment. The best discrimination between neuroborreliosis sera and control sera was achieved when the IgM blot was performed using recombinant internal flagellin fragments derived from strains PKo and PBi and OspC derived from B31 or PKo.