Biomedical subjects

Elisa Storni

Publications and source records attributed to Elisa Storni.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Comparative PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the plasmid gene orf3 of Chlamydia trachomatis and Chlamydia psittaci.

The BfaI digestion of PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the plasmid orf3 of Chlamydia trachomatis and Chlamydia psittaci provided evidence for two distinct restriction patterns, respectively. The nucleotide sequences of orf3 genes confirmed these differences. Serum antibodies against recombinant C. psittaci protein (pgp3) encoded by orf3 were detected both in pigeons with C. psittaci infection and in a human patient with psittacosis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2006

A decrease in the immunoglobulin G antibody response against the VlsE protein of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato correlates with the resolution of clinical signs in antibiotic-treated patients with early Lyme disease.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of the LIAISON Borrelia Screen (Diasorin, Saluggia, Italy), a new automated immunoassay based on the chemiluminescent technology (chemiluminescence immunoassay). To assess whether a decrease in a negative value in the anti-VlsE immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody titer was correlated with a positive response to treatment, a group of serially collected serum samples from 67 patients with culture-confirmed erythema migrans was retrospectively studied. All the patients had been treated with antibiotics and were free of disease within 3 to 6 months of follow-up. All the 15 patients who were found to be IgG positive at the time of enrollment and who were bled at least four times during the follow-up became IgG seronegative at 2 to 6 months posttreatment. These results indicate that a decline in the anti-VlsE antibody titer coincides with effective antimicrobial therapy in patients with early localized Lyme disease.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Comparative evaluation of three different ELISA methods for the diagnosis of early culture-confirmed Lyme disease in Italy.

In this study the raising and development of the immune response to Borrelia burgdorferi infection in 45 Italian patients suffering from culture-confirmed Lyme borreliosis erythema migrans was investigated. A total of 95 serially collected serum samples were tested by using three different commercial ELISAs: recomWell Borrelia (Mikrogen), Enzygnost Borreliosis (DADE Behring) and Quick ELISA C6 Borrelia (Immunetics). The sensitivities of the ELISAs were as follows: Enzygnost Borreliosis IgM, 70.5 %; Quick ELISA C6 Borrelia, 62.1 %; recomWell Borrelia IgM, 55.7 %; recomWell Borrelia IgG, 57.9 %; and Enzygnost Borreliosis IgG, 36.8 %. In order to compare the specificity values of the three ELISAs, a panel of sera obtained from blood donors (210 samples coming from a non-endemic area and 24 samples from an endemic area) was tested, as well as sera from patients suffering from some of the most common biological conditions that could result in false-positive reactivity in Lyme disease serology (n = 40). RecomWell Borrelia IgG and recomWell Borrelia IgM were the most specific (97.1 % and 98.9 %, respectively), followed by Quick ELISA C6 Borrelia (96.7 %). Enzygnost Borreliosis IgG and IgM achieved 90.1 % and 92.3 % specificity, respectively. Sera that gave discrepant results when tested by the three ELISAs were further analysed by Western blotting.

Borrelia burgdorferi↗

PubMed2005

Evaluation of LIAISON Treponema Screen, a novel recombinant antigen-based chemiluminescence immunoassay for laboratory diagnosis of syphilis.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic performance of LIAISON Treponema Screen (DiaSorin, Saluggia, Italy), a new automated chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA), in comparison with that of rapid plasma reagin (RPR) and the following currently used treponemal tests: hemagglutination test (TPHA), immunoenzymatic assay (EIA), and Western blot (WB). First, a retrospective study was performed with a panel of 2,494 blood donor sera, a panel of 131 clinical and serologically characterized syphilitic sera, and 96 samples obtained from subjects with potentially interfering diseases or conditions. A prospective study was also performed by testing 1,800 unselected samples submitted to the Microbiology Laboratory of the St. Orsola Hospital in Bologna, Italy, for routine screening for syphilis. As expected, RPR was the least specific method, especially when potentially cross-reacting sera were tested. On the contrary, all of the treponemal tests proved to be very specific (99.9%) and they performed with the following sensitivities: 100% (WB), 99.2% (CLIA), 95.4% (EIA), and 94.7% (TPHA).

Antigens, Bacterial↗

PubMed2005

Immunological evaluation and cellular location analysis of the TprI antigen of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum.

The TprI antigen of Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum is a putative virulence factor predicted to be located in the outer membrane of the syphilis spirochete. In this study, we analyzed the immune response against TprI and its subunits in sera collected both from rabbits experimentally infected with the Nichols strain and from patients with syphilis, showing a different pattern of reactivity toward the antigen in these two groups of samples. The protective ability of recombinant TprI and its hypothetical outer membrane location were also investigated. Although no rabbit was protected after challenge, immunoelectron microscopy results, to be further investigated, were compatible with the outer membrane location of the antigen.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Comparative evaluation of two enzyme linked immunosorbent assay methods and three Western Blot methods for the diagnosis of culture-confirmed early Lyme borreliosis in Italy.

This study investigated the onset and development of the immune response to Borrelia burgdorferi infection in 30 Italian patients with culture-confirmed Lyme Borreliosis in the stage of erythema migrans (EM). All patients received antimicrobial treatment when entering the study and were prospectively evaluated monthly for up to 30 days after enrolment. A total of 60 serially collected serum samples were tested by using two different commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs): Anti-Borrelia plus VlsE ELISA, Euroimmun, and the synthetic peptide-based ELISA, Quick ELISA C6, Immunetics. Sixty-five potentially cross-reacting sera were also tested. Anti-Borrelia plus VlsE ELISA IgG was far more sensitive than Quick ELISA C6 (56.6% and 33.3%, respectively). Moreover, considering that 17 additional sera from the first bleeding group of Lyme disease patients were IgM positive when tested by Anti-Borrelia plus VlsE IgM, the sensitivity of Anti-Borrelia plus VlsE as a whole system rose to 85.0%. Nevertheless, due to the specificity values of Anti-Borrelia plus VlsE ELISA identified in this study (98.5% for IgG and 78.5% for IgM), the need of a confirmatory test for the diagnosis of Lyme disease remains. All the sera were also tested by two different commercial Western Blot (WB) assays: Euroline-WB against Borrelia, Euroimmun, and Qualicode B. burgdorferi WB, Immunetics, in comparison with a multispecies "home made" WB. Performances of the three WB methods for the detection of IgM were very similar. On the contrary, these WBs performed with different values of sensitivity and specificity when IgGs were evaluated. The most sensitive method was the "home-made" WB IgG (71.7%), followed by the Euroline-WB IgG against Borrelia (68.3%). Qualicode B. burgdorferi WB IgG demonstrated to be only 26.6% sensitive. Both "home-made" WB IgG and Qualicode B. burgdorferi WB IgG were 100% specific, whereas Euroline-WB IgG against Borrelia scored 12 cross-reacting samples as borderline, showing a specificity value of 80.0%.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Treponema denticola infection is not a cause of false positive Treponema pallidum serology.

It has long been assumed that parodontal disease can be a cause of false positive results in syphilis serology, but so far there are no definitive data supporting this hypothesis. In this study we tested 250 serum samples obtained from blood donors. All of them were negative when routinely screened for antibodies against Treponema pallidum. Then, all these samples were tested by immunoenzymatic (ELISA) and Western Blot (WB) assays to investigate reactivities against T. denticola. Thirteen samples showed a strong positivity when tested by both methods. When tested by WB against T. pallidum no sample met the positivity criteria. Nevertheless, bands with molecolar weights of about 30-35 KDa (endoflagellar core antigens) were recognized. All the 13 subjects serologically T. denticola positive underwent oral clinical and radiological observation: all showed a very poor parodontal status (CPSS > 103). Eleven crevicular fluid samples out of the total of 13 patients were T. denticola positive by Real Time PCR carried out using a LightCycler system. In this study we demonstrated that the presence of T. denticola in the crevicular fluid samples obtained from patients with a severe periodontal status and/or a positive serology against T. denticola is not a cause of false positive results in syphilis serology.

Antibodies, Bacterial↗

PubMed2004

Experimental infection by Chlamydia pneumoniae in the hamster.

We report that intraperitoneal injection of Chlamydia pneumoniae purified elementary bodies (EBs) in the hamster causes a systemic infection allowing the isolation of viable chlamydiae from several organs for several days post-infection (p.i.). In particular, spleen infection occurred up to Day 7 p.i. in 100% of animals. Systemic infection probably occurs via macrophages as intraperitoneally injected chlamydiae which are taken up by the hamster macrophages remain viable and can infect in vitro cell cultures. Immunization of 18 hamsters with heat-inactivated purified EBs, completely protected the spleens of 16 animals and substantially reduced infection levels in the remaining two. This model, therefore, provides a robust screening tool for the assessment of the protective activity of potential vaccine candidates. In a pilot study on five recombinant antigens recently described as EB surface proteins, three gave results undistinguishable from non-immunized, or mock-immunized controls; however two antigens, derived, respectively, from the product of the lcrE gene (a component of the putative TTSS of C. pneumoniae) and the product of Cpn0498 open reading frame, proved to be capable of inducing protective immune responses.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

DNA immunization with pgp3 gene of Chlamydia trachomatis inhibits the spread of chlamydial infection from the lower to the upper genital tract in C3H/HeN mice.

Chlamydia trachomatis pgp3 DNA immunized (no. 300) and non-immunized (no. 300) C3H/HeN mice were infected by vaginal inoculation with infectious C. trachomatis serotype D elementary bodies (EBs) and the spread of infection to the salpinges was assessed by cell culture isolation from tissue homogenates 7, 14, 21, 28, 35 and 42 days post-infection (p.i.). Overall, the pgp3-DNA immunization prevented salpinx infection in 94 (56%) mice, if compared with the 168 positive animals found among the non-immunized animals (P < 0.001). A group of negative control animals (i.e. mice immunized with plasmid DNA containing an irrelevant insert) was not protected, whereas all the mice of a positive immune control group (mice that had resolved a primary genital C. trachomatis infection) were resistant to re-infection. Pgp3 DNA immunization induced both humoral and mucosal anti-pgp3 antibodies.

Animals↗