Absorption of Rickettsia rickettsii antibodies by Rickettsia rickettsii antigens in four diagnostic tests

J Clin Microbiol. 1983 Mar;17(3):445-9. doi: 10.1128/jcm.17.3.445-449.1983.

Abstract

Immunoabsorption profiles were determined for Rickettsia rickettsii antigens used in four confirmatory tests for detection of antibodies to Rocky Mountain spotted fever. A human serum reactive in the four tests was absorbed with each test antigen and then reexamined by all four tests. The results indicated that the whole organism and complement-fixation antigen absorbed the whole array of antibodies to R. rickettsii, whereas erythrocyte-sensitizing substance coated on latex or erythrocytes did not. With erythrocyte-sensitizing substance coated on latex there was a decrease in titer when tested by the latex, indirect hemagglutination, and complement fixation tests but none when tested by the microimmunofluorescence test. With erythrocyte-sensitizing substance coated on sheep erythrocytes there was a decrease in titer when tested by indirect hemagglutination or complement fixation but none when tested by latex or microimmunofluorescence. These findings confirm that erythrocyte-sensitizing substance contains more than a single antigenic substance and plays a major role in the complement fixation test and a minor role in the microimmunofluorescence test.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Bacterial / immunology*
  • Antigens, Bacterial / immunology*
  • Complement Fixation Tests
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • Hemagglutination Tests
  • Humans
  • Latex Fixation Tests
  • Rickettsia rickettsii / immunology*
  • Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever / diagnosis*
  • Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever / immunology
  • Serologic Tests

Substances

  • Antibodies, Bacterial
  • Antigens, Bacterial