Multicenter comparison of levels of antibody to the Neisseria meningitidis group A capsular polysaccharide measured by using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

J Clin Microbiol. 1992 Jan;30(1):154-9. doi: 10.1128/jcm.30.1.154-159.1992.

Abstract

There is no standard immunoassay for evaluating immune responses to meningococcal vaccines. We developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to measure total levels of antibody to Neisseria meningitidis group A capsular polysaccharide. Five laboratories measured the antibody levels in six paired pre- and postvaccination serum samples by using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Methylated human serum albumin was used to bind native group A polysaccharide to microtiter plate surfaces. The between-laboratory coefficients of variation for pre- and postvaccination sera had ranges of 31 to 91 and 17 to 31, respectively. The mean laboratory coefficients of variation for pre- and postvaccination sera, respectively, were 17 and 11 (Molecular Biology Laboratory, Centers for Disease Control), 12 and 15 (Immunodiagnostic Methods Laboratory, Centers for Disease Control), 22 and 19 (Dana-Farber Cancer Institute), 38 and 38 (Bacterial Polysaccharide Laboratory, U.S. Food and Drug Administration), and 11 and 10 (Praxis Biologics, Inc.). Standardization of this enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay should allow interlaboratory comparison of meningococcal vaccine immunogenicity, thus providing a laboratory-based assessment tool for evaluating meningococcal vaccines.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Antibodies, Bacterial / biosynthesis
  • Antibodies, Bacterial / chemistry*
  • Antigens, Bacterial / immunology*
  • Binding Sites, Antibody
  • Binding, Competitive
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay* / methods
  • Humans
  • Multicenter Studies as Topic
  • Neisseria meningitidis / immunology*
  • Polysaccharides, Bacterial / immunology*

Substances

  • Antibodies, Bacterial
  • Antigens, Bacterial
  • Polysaccharides, Bacterial
  • meningococcal group A polysaccharide