Specific IgA antibodies in the diagnosis of acute brucellosis

Hanan El-Mohammady; Hind Ibrahim Shaheen; John David Klena; Isabelle Antoun Nakhla; Mattew A Weiner; Adam Wilson Armstrong

doi:10.3855/jidc.1411

Specific IgA antibodies in the diagnosis of acute brucellosis

Authors

Hanan El-Mohammady US Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt
Hind Ibrahim Shaheen US Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt
John David Klena International Emerging Infections Program, China Unit 7300 Box 060 DPO, AP 96521-0050 USA
Isabelle Antoun Nakhla US Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt
Mattew A Weiner Biological Defense Research Directorate, US Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, USA
Adam Wilson Armstrong National Naval Medical Center, US Navy Central HIV Program, 8901 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD,USA

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3855/jidc.1411

Keywords:

brucellosis, IgA antibodies and early diagnostic marker

Abstract

An Egyptian female with night sweats, headache, and back pain was diagnosed with acute brucellosis one week after returning from a North African country. Humoral immune responses to specific immunogenic proteins were investigated before and after treatment. ELISA was performed to detect levels of specific antibody (Ab) titers. Immunoblot analysis of Ab recognizing specific Brucella antigenic bands was also performed. IgA was detected on the day of disease onset. Specific agglutination titer was 1:160; it doubled three days later and treatment was implemented. Blood culture yielded Gram-negative coccobacilli after one month, confirmed as B. melitensis by AMOS-PCR. Immunoblotting revealed IgM Abs against two protein bands of 112 and 130-kDa observed only during the acute stage. On the other hand, the intensity of IgG Abs against 21 and 21.5-kDa protein bands positively correlated with the time of convalescence. Based on our observations we conclude that specific IgA levels may be used as an early diagnostic marker for Brucella and high molecular weight protein bands may be useful in the differentiation between acute and chronic brucellosis.

Author Biographies

Hanan El-Mohammady, US Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt

Medical Researcher

Clinical trial and Military Studies Department

Hind Ibrahim Shaheen, US Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt

Medical Researcher

Clinical trial and Military Studies Department

John David Klena, International Emerging Infections Program, China Unit 7300 Box 060 DPO, AP 96521-0050 USA

Head of laboratory Unit, Clinical trial and Military Studies Department

Isabelle Antoun Nakhla, US Naval Medical Research Unit No. 3, Cairo, Egypt

Medical Researcher

Clinical trial and Military Studies Department

Mattew A Weiner, Biological Defense Research Directorate, US Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, USA

LCDR, Biological Defense Research Directorate

Adam Wilson Armstrong, National Naval Medical Center, US Navy Central HIV Program, 8901 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD,USA

CDR, Physician

US Navy Central HIV Program

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Published

2011-09-30

How to Cite

El-Mohammady H, Shaheen HI, Klena JD, Nakhla IA, Weiner MA, Armstrong AW (2011) Specific IgA antibodies in the diagnosis of acute brucellosis. J Infect Dev Ctries 6:192–200. doi: 10.3855/jidc.1411

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Issue

Vol. 6 No. 02: February 2012

Section

Case Reports

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