Diagnostic Value of IgA Antibody Measurement in Tick-Borne Spotted Fever (Astrakhan Rickettsial Fever)
ABSTRACT Tick-borne spotted fevers caused by Rickettsia occur worldwide. The symptoms of this bacterial infection are similar to those of viral infection, and thus, diagnostic accuracy has special clinical importance. One of the commonly used methods for the diagnosis of tick-borne spotted fever is...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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American Society for Microbiology
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Microbiology Spectrum |
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| Online Access: | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.01687-21 |
| _version_ | 1818218488086396928 |
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| author | Nina S. Smirnova Alexey V. Kostarnoy Alexey V. Kondratev Petya G. Gancheva Daniil A. Grumov Alexander L. Gintsburg |
| author_facet | Nina S. Smirnova Alexey V. Kostarnoy Alexey V. Kondratev Petya G. Gancheva Daniil A. Grumov Alexander L. Gintsburg |
| author_sort | Nina S. Smirnova |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Tick-borne spotted fevers caused by Rickettsia occur worldwide. The symptoms of this bacterial infection are similar to those of viral infection, and thus, diagnostic accuracy has special clinical importance. One of the commonly used methods for the diagnosis of tick-borne spotted fever is enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which is based on estimation of the presence of specific IgM antibodies in blood. However, IgA analysis has not been used for the diagnosis of rickettsial diseases thus far. We investigated the diagnostic value of IgA antibody determination using patient sera collected in the Astrakhan region of Russia, where an isolated site of Astrakhan rickettsial fever (ARF) caused by Rickettsia conorii subsp. caspia is located. Our investigation was performed on serum samples collected from 185 patients diagnosed with Astrakhan rickettsial fever from May to October 2019. Western blot analysis revealed that specific IgA antibodies, as well as IgM antibodies, from patient sera bind to high-molecular-weight pathogen proteins with similar masses. The obtained data show that the determination of IgM alone allows for serological confirmation of diagnosis in only 46.5% of cases but that the determination of both IgM and IgA increases this rate to 66.5%. Taken together, the findings show an important diagnostic value of IgA evaluation for tick-borne spotted fever rickettsiosis. IMPORTANCE Tick-borne spotted fevers caused by Rickettsia occur worldwide. The symptoms of this bacterial infection are similar to the symptoms of viral infection, and thus, diagnostic accuracy has special clinical importance. The most serious spotted fever group rickettsiosis is Rocky Mountain fever in the United States, which is caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, and disease complications can lead to hemiparesis, blindness, or amputation. Rickettsia conorii subsp. caspia causes a rickettsial spotted fever named Astrakhan rickettsial fever (ARF). One of the commonly used methods for the diagnosis of tick-borne spotted fevers is ELISA, which is based on estimation of the presence of specific IgM antibodies in blood, though IgA has not been used for the diagnosis of rickettsial diseases thus far. In this study, we showed that both IgA and IgM should be analyzed in the blood serum samples of patients to significantly enhance the accuracy of diagnostics of tick-borne spotted fever rickettsiosis. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T07:24:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2d3cb16e24cd4a9fb03992b731b4581a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2165-0497 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T07:24:33Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | American Society for Microbiology |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microbiology Spectrum |
| spelling | doaj.art-2d3cb16e24cd4a9fb03992b731b4581a2022-12-22T00:33:11ZengAmerican Society for MicrobiologyMicrobiology Spectrum2165-04972022-06-0110310.1128/spectrum.01687-21Diagnostic Value of IgA Antibody Measurement in Tick-Borne Spotted Fever (Astrakhan Rickettsial Fever)Nina S. Smirnova0Alexey V. Kostarnoy1Alexey V. Kondratev2Petya G. Gancheva3Daniil A. Grumov4Alexander L. Gintsburg5Laboratory of Ecology of Rickettsia, N. F. Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Moscow, RussiaLaboratory of Ecology of Rickettsia, N. F. Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Moscow, RussiaLaboratory of Ecology of Rickettsia, N. F. Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Moscow, RussiaLaboratory of Immunobiotechnology, N. F. Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Moscow, RussiaLaboratory of Ecology of Rickettsia, N. F. Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Moscow, RussiaLaboratory of Gene Engineering of Pathogenic Microorganisms, N. F. Gamaleya National Research Center of Epidemiology and Microbiology, Moscow, RussiaABSTRACT Tick-borne spotted fevers caused by Rickettsia occur worldwide. The symptoms of this bacterial infection are similar to those of viral infection, and thus, diagnostic accuracy has special clinical importance. One of the commonly used methods for the diagnosis of tick-borne spotted fever is enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), which is based on estimation of the presence of specific IgM antibodies in blood. However, IgA analysis has not been used for the diagnosis of rickettsial diseases thus far. We investigated the diagnostic value of IgA antibody determination using patient sera collected in the Astrakhan region of Russia, where an isolated site of Astrakhan rickettsial fever (ARF) caused by Rickettsia conorii subsp. caspia is located. Our investigation was performed on serum samples collected from 185 patients diagnosed with Astrakhan rickettsial fever from May to October 2019. Western blot analysis revealed that specific IgA antibodies, as well as IgM antibodies, from patient sera bind to high-molecular-weight pathogen proteins with similar masses. The obtained data show that the determination of IgM alone allows for serological confirmation of diagnosis in only 46.5% of cases but that the determination of both IgM and IgA increases this rate to 66.5%. Taken together, the findings show an important diagnostic value of IgA evaluation for tick-borne spotted fever rickettsiosis. IMPORTANCE Tick-borne spotted fevers caused by Rickettsia occur worldwide. The symptoms of this bacterial infection are similar to the symptoms of viral infection, and thus, diagnostic accuracy has special clinical importance. The most serious spotted fever group rickettsiosis is Rocky Mountain fever in the United States, which is caused by Rickettsia rickettsii, and disease complications can lead to hemiparesis, blindness, or amputation. Rickettsia conorii subsp. caspia causes a rickettsial spotted fever named Astrakhan rickettsial fever (ARF). One of the commonly used methods for the diagnosis of tick-borne spotted fevers is ELISA, which is based on estimation of the presence of specific IgM antibodies in blood, though IgA has not been used for the diagnosis of rickettsial diseases thus far. In this study, we showed that both IgA and IgM should be analyzed in the blood serum samples of patients to significantly enhance the accuracy of diagnostics of tick-borne spotted fever rickettsiosis.https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.01687-21ELISAIgArickettsiosisserologytick-borne spotted fever |
| spellingShingle | Nina S. Smirnova Alexey V. Kostarnoy Alexey V. Kondratev Petya G. Gancheva Daniil A. Grumov Alexander L. Gintsburg Diagnostic Value of IgA Antibody Measurement in Tick-Borne Spotted Fever (Astrakhan Rickettsial Fever) Microbiology Spectrum ELISA IgA rickettsiosis serology tick-borne spotted fever |
| title | Diagnostic Value of IgA Antibody Measurement in Tick-Borne Spotted Fever (Astrakhan Rickettsial Fever) |
| title_full | Diagnostic Value of IgA Antibody Measurement in Tick-Borne Spotted Fever (Astrakhan Rickettsial Fever) |
| title_fullStr | Diagnostic Value of IgA Antibody Measurement in Tick-Borne Spotted Fever (Astrakhan Rickettsial Fever) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Diagnostic Value of IgA Antibody Measurement in Tick-Borne Spotted Fever (Astrakhan Rickettsial Fever) |
| title_short | Diagnostic Value of IgA Antibody Measurement in Tick-Borne Spotted Fever (Astrakhan Rickettsial Fever) |
| title_sort | diagnostic value of iga antibody measurement in tick borne spotted fever astrakhan rickettsial fever |
| topic | ELISA IgA rickettsiosis serology tick-borne spotted fever |
| url | https://journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/spectrum.01687-21 |
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