Blondeau J M, Williams J C, Marrie T J
Department of Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1990;590:187-202. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1990.tb42220.x.
To determine the utility of Western immunoblotting in distinguishing chronic Q fever from acute Q fever, we first examined serum samples from individuals who had no antibodies to Coxiella burnetii by either the indirect immunofluorescence antibody test or by the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. In these subjects, the IgG fraction in low dilutions of serum (1:8, 1:16) reacted with as many as 10 proteins in phase I and phase II antigens. This number of reacting bands seen in Western blots was reduced by using serum in a dilution of 1:1024. In contrast, IgA antibodies were uncommon even at low dilutions. Likewise, IgA antibodies were infrequently observed in patients with acute Q fever. However, in chronic Q fever there were many IgA antibodies to phase I and phase II proteins. Antibodies to phase I proteins were more common than those to phase II proteins. Several antigenic protein bands were recognized only by serum from chronic Q fever patients. Three of these antigens had molecular masses of, respectively, 50 kDa, 80 kDa, and 160 kDa. Serial serum samples from patients with chronic Q fever revealed that the number of antigens recognized by the IgA fraction decreased after the initiation of antibiotic therapy. The decline was faster for antibodies to phase II proteins. We conclude that immunoblotting is useful in the diagnosis of chronic Q fever.
为了确定蛋白质免疫印迹法在区分慢性Q热和急性Q热方面的效用，我们首先检测了那些通过间接免疫荧光抗体试验或酶联免疫吸附测定法对伯纳特柯克斯体没有抗体的个体的血清样本。在这些受试者中，血清低稀释度（1:8、1:16）中的IgG组分与I期和II期抗原中的多达10种蛋白质发生反应。通过使用1:1024稀释度的血清，蛋白质免疫印迹中出现的这种反应条带数量减少。相比之下，即使在低稀释度下，IgA抗体也不常见。同样，在急性Q热患者中很少观察到IgA抗体。然而，在慢性Q热患者中，存在许多针对I期和II期蛋白质的IgA抗体。针对I期蛋白质的抗体比针对II期蛋白质的抗体更常见。几种抗原性蛋白条带仅被慢性Q热患者的血清识别。其中三种抗原的分子量分别为50 kDa、80 kDa和160 kDa。慢性Q热患者的系列血清样本显示，抗生素治疗开始后，IgA组分识别的抗原数量减少。针对II期蛋白质的抗体下降得更快。我们得出结论，免疫印迹法在慢性Q热的诊断中是有用的。
