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Biomedical subjects

P E Kauffman

Publications and source records attributed to P E Kauffman.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Detection of heat-labile-enterotoxin-producing colonies of Escherichia coli and Vibrio cholerae by solid-phase sandwich radioimmunoassays.

A solid-phase sandwich assay that was able to differentiate heat-labile-enterotoxin-producing colonies of Escherichia coli and choleratoxin-producing colonies of Vibrio cholerae from nontoxigenic colonies is described. Flexible polyvinyl chloride plastic film coated with antibody molecules was allowed to react with partially lysed bacterial colonies in a standard petri dish. The immobilized antigen on the plastic film was then labeled with radioiodinated antibody. Autoradiography identified antigen-containing colonies. As little as 5 to 25 pg of pure toxin contained in a 3- to 4-mm-diameter circle was reliably detected by this method. The synthesis of heat-labile enterotoxin and choleratoxin by cells growing on selective media such as eosin methylene blue agar, MacConkey agar, Endo agar, and thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-sucrose agar was demonstrated. The method appears to be suitable for large-scale surveys.

Culture Media↗

Production and evaluation of antibody to the heat-stable enterotoxin from a human strain of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

Escherichia coli heat-stable enterotoxin was coupled to bovine serum albumin by a carbodiimide reagent. Antibody to the conjugate was produced by immunization of rabbits. Data from radioimmunoassay and infant mouse tests indicate the presence of antibody to the enterotoxin. The antisera can be used in a radioimmunoassay to measure enterotoxin in various fluids.

Animals↗

Enzyme immunoassay for staphylococcal enterotoxin A.

An enzyme immunoassay procedure specifying alkaline phosphatase-labeled enterotoxin A was used to determined enterotoxin in standardized solutions and food extracts. Staphylococcus aureus Cowan 1 cells were used to separate unbound from antibody-bound enterotoxin. The method is sensitive to 2 ng enterotoxin A/mL; cross reactions with other staphylococcal enterotoxins did not interfere with the specificity. The method is sensitive and precise enough to serve as a reliable alternative to radioimmunoassay for enterotoxin A.

Animals↗

Stability of 125I-labeled staphylococcal enterotoxins in solid-phase radioimmunoassay.

Staphylococcal enterotoxins, Types A, B, and C, were labeled with 1252 by the chloramine-T method at approximately two levels of specific activity, 40 and 4 muCi/mug of protein. Toxins labeled with high specific activity showed extensive dissociation of 125I when stored at different temperatures, including -23 C. In contrast, toxins labeled with low specific activity did not show any significant loss of 125I when stored at -23 C for as long as 2 months. Enterotoxins, whether labeled with high or low activities, formed aggregates immediately upon labeling. Aggregate formation increased in high-activity-labeled toxins on storage at -23 C, and low-activity-labeled toxins showed no significant increase in aggregate formation, even after 2 months at -23 C. The aggregated forms of the enterotoxins were either devoid of antigenic activity in solid-phase radioimmunoassay or they possessed significantly reduced antigenic activity. Thus, a decrease in binding of 1252-labeled enterotoxin to specific antibody in solid-phase radioimmunoassay results mainly from (i) loss of 125I on storage, and (ii) formation of aggregates with reduced antigenic activity.

Binding Sites, Antibody↗

Tartrazine: solid-phase radioimmunoassay studies of an azo dye implicated in allergic reactions (azo dyes and allergy).

A solid-phase radioimmunoassay procedure was adapted for the haptenic study of tartrazine, an azo dye implicated in various forms of allergy. Further, the haptenic relationship of tartrazine and aspirin was investigated, since sensitivity of individuals to the two substances is often clinically associated. The specificity of antibody to tartrazine was directed strongly toward a pyrazolone intermediate of the molecule, 1-(4-sulfophenyl)-3-carboxy-5-hydroxy-pyrazole. Aspirin did not cross-react with anti-tartrazine, suggesting that the clinical association of aspirin and tartrazine sensitivity in patients is a nonimmunological phenomenon.

Antigens↗

Antigenic cross-reactivity of staphylococcal enterotoxins.

The antigenic cross-reactivity of staphylococcal enterotoxins types A, B, and C was assessed using anti-A and anti-B antitoxins in the solid-phase radioimmunoassay test. Heterologous reactions were observed. At the 33% inhibition level, B was 18,000 and 5,400 times more effective as an inhibitor in its homologous system than were the heterologous enterotoxins A and C, respectively. Similarly, in the A system, A enterotoxin was 55,000 and 25,000 times more effective than were B and C toxins, respectively, in inhibiting A-anti-A reactions.

Animals↗

Staphylococcal enterotoxin B: solid-phase radioimmunoassay.

An immunoassay employing (125)I-labeled enterotoxin B and polystyrene tubes coated with specific antibody was used for assaying purified and crude enterotoxin. Antibody was adsorbed to untreated polystyrene tubes. Unlabeled enterotoxin competed with (125)I-labeled enterotoxin for antibody-combining sites. The uptake of (125)I-labeled toxin reflected the concentration of unlabeled toxin present. The test is sensitive to 1 to 5 ng of purified and crude enterotoxin B per ml, and cross-reactions with heterologous enterotoxins did not interfere with the specificity. This test possesses the combination of sensitivity and objectivity absent in current methods for assaying enterotoxin and provides a model for investigating other enterotoxin serotypes.

Animals↗

Enzyme immunoassay for detection of Drosophila melanogaster antigens in the juice of various foods.

An enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was developed to identify and quantitate soluble antigens originating from Drosophila melanogaster eggs. Polystyrene microtiter plates were coated with anti-egg antibody. Egg antigen standards or samples were reacted with the sensitized wells. The immobilized antigen was reacted with biotinylated antibody, and the complex was quantitated by an avidin-horseradish peroxidase conjugate. The assay can detect egg antigens equivalent to 0.03 eggs/mL. The antibody was directed against a number of antigens and cross-reacted with extracts of adult Drosophila melanogaster flies. Homogenized eggs diluted in various juice samples were detectable by EIA. Heating the antigen diluted in buffer or juice at a temperature used in processing of juice reduced the immunological response approximately 40-45%. Brine separated from fresh-packed sauerkraut showed EIA responses equivalent to 0.3-3 eggs/mL. Electrophoretic, chromatographic, and immunological analyses suggested that the EIA responses for sauerkraut brine were related to the Drosophila melanogaster egg antigens.

Animals↗