TY - JOUR
T1 - Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of Clostridium botulinum type A and type B toxins in stool samples of infants with botulism
AU - Dezfulian, M.
AU - Hatheway, C. L.
AU - Yolken, R. H.
AU - Bartlett, John
PY - 1984
Y1 - 1984
N2 - An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for Clostridium botulinum type A and type B toxins was assessed for diagnostic accuracy in cases of infant botulism. This test was positive in all 22 cases confirmed by the conventional tests, which included the mouse lethality assay and stool culture. Stool specimens from five cases were positive by culture, but the mouse lethality bioassay was either negative or toxicity was judged nonspecific since it could not be neutralized by specific antitoxin. The positive ELISA results in these specimens suggested that this assay may be more reliable, in somes cases, than the mouse bioassay. Of the 21 fecal specimens from suspected foodborne cases, 2 contained botulinal toxin demonstrable by the mouse assay and the ELISA. With regard to specificity, 35 fecal specimens from infants and 19 from suspected foodborne cases which were negative in the bioassay for botulinal toxins A and B were also negative in the ELISA. Only two fecal specimens with negative bioassay gave positive ELISA readings, providing a specificity rate of 96%. These results suggest that the ELISA may serve as a useful screening test to detect C. botulinum toxin in clinical specimens.
AB - An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for Clostridium botulinum type A and type B toxins was assessed for diagnostic accuracy in cases of infant botulism. This test was positive in all 22 cases confirmed by the conventional tests, which included the mouse lethality assay and stool culture. Stool specimens from five cases were positive by culture, but the mouse lethality bioassay was either negative or toxicity was judged nonspecific since it could not be neutralized by specific antitoxin. The positive ELISA results in these specimens suggested that this assay may be more reliable, in somes cases, than the mouse bioassay. Of the 21 fecal specimens from suspected foodborne cases, 2 contained botulinal toxin demonstrable by the mouse assay and the ELISA. With regard to specificity, 35 fecal specimens from infants and 19 from suspected foodborne cases which were negative in the bioassay for botulinal toxins A and B were also negative in the ELISA. Only two fecal specimens with negative bioassay gave positive ELISA readings, providing a specificity rate of 96%. These results suggest that the ELISA may serve as a useful screening test to detect C. botulinum toxin in clinical specimens.
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U2 - 10.1128/jcm.20.3.379-383.1984
DO - 10.1128/jcm.20.3.379-383.1984
M3 - Article
C2 - 6490825
AN - SCOPUS:0021250671
SN - 0095-1137
VL - 20
SP - 379
EP - 383
JO - Journal of clinical microbiology
JF - Journal of clinical microbiology
IS - 3
ER -