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Efficient evaluation of humoral immune responses by the use of serum pools

Sternbæk, Louise ; Draborg, Anette H. ; Nielsen, Christoffer T. ; Jacobsen, Søren ; Iversen, Line V ; Troelsen, Lone ; Theander, Elke LU and Houen, Gunnar (2017) In Journal of Immunological Methods 443. p.1-8
Abstract

Background: Collection and testing of individual serum samples are often used in research to gain knowledge about e.g. the humoral response against bacteria or virus. This is a valid but time-consuming method and might be a waste of valuable serum samples for inefficient research. So far, no study has considered using serum pools as a quick and efficient screening method to confirm or deny hypotheses. Methods: We created serum pools from four different patient groups (systemic lupus erythematosus n = 85, rheumatoid arthritis n = 77, Sjögren's syndrome n = 91, systemic sclerosis n = 66) and one healthy control group (n = 67). Each serum pool was analyzed using three well-known immunoassays: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), line... (More)

Background: Collection and testing of individual serum samples are often used in research to gain knowledge about e.g. the humoral response against bacteria or virus. This is a valid but time-consuming method and might be a waste of valuable serum samples for inefficient research. So far, no study has considered using serum pools as a quick and efficient screening method to confirm or deny hypotheses. Methods: We created serum pools from four different patient groups (systemic lupus erythematosus n = 85, rheumatoid arthritis n = 77, Sjögren's syndrome n = 91, systemic sclerosis n = 66) and one healthy control group (n = 67). Each serum pool was analyzed using three well-known immunoassays: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), line blot, and immunofluorescence microscopy (anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) screening). The presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) EA/D-, EBNA-1-, VCA p23-, and gp350-directed antibodies was used to validate serum pools as an efficient tool for further investigations by comparison to previous findings in this area. Results: The presence of EBV EA/D-, EBNA-1-, VCA p23-, and gp350-directed antibodies in each pool was consistent within the obtained ELISA and line blot results, as increased titers of IgG against the four antigens were found in all patient serum pools and also in individual sera regarding gp350. These results correspond to previous findings on individual samples from patients with these diseases. The presence of ANAs was observed in all four patient serum pools and not in the HC pool by both line blots and immunofluorescence microscopy, which corresponds with the expectations and further corroborate the application of serum pools for screenings. Conclusion: We developed and validated the use of serum pools that reliably and rapidly can confirm or deny hypotheses, which enables a more efficient research concentrating on the most evident factors.

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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
ELISA, Line blot, Screening, Serology, Serum pools
in
Journal of Immunological Methods
volume
443
pages
1 - 8
publisher
Elsevier
external identifiers
  • scopus:85010991399
  • pmid:28130033
  • wos:000397360100001
ISSN
0022-1759
DOI
10.1016/j.jim.2017.01.006
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
449b71d6-9825-42a2-a7a4-22886dfbe418
date added to LUP
2017-02-16 14:54:39
date last changed
2024-06-10 13:06:46
@article{449b71d6-9825-42a2-a7a4-22886dfbe418,
  abstract     = {{<p>Background: Collection and testing of individual serum samples are often used in research to gain knowledge about e.g. the humoral response against bacteria or virus. This is a valid but time-consuming method and might be a waste of valuable serum samples for inefficient research. So far, no study has considered using serum pools as a quick and efficient screening method to confirm or deny hypotheses. Methods: We created serum pools from four different patient groups (systemic lupus erythematosus n = 85, rheumatoid arthritis n = 77, Sjögren's syndrome n = 91, systemic sclerosis n = 66) and one healthy control group (n = 67). Each serum pool was analyzed using three well-known immunoassays: enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), line blot, and immunofluorescence microscopy (anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) screening). The presence of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) EA/D-, EBNA-1-, VCA p23-, and gp350-directed antibodies was used to validate serum pools as an efficient tool for further investigations by comparison to previous findings in this area. Results: The presence of EBV EA/D-, EBNA-1-, VCA p23-, and gp350-directed antibodies in each pool was consistent within the obtained ELISA and line blot results, as increased titers of IgG against the four antigens were found in all patient serum pools and also in individual sera regarding gp350. These results correspond to previous findings on individual samples from patients with these diseases. The presence of ANAs was observed in all four patient serum pools and not in the HC pool by both line blots and immunofluorescence microscopy, which corresponds with the expectations and further corroborate the application of serum pools for screenings. Conclusion: We developed and validated the use of serum pools that reliably and rapidly can confirm or deny hypotheses, which enables a more efficient research concentrating on the most evident factors.</p>}},
  author       = {{Sternbæk, Louise and Draborg, Anette H. and Nielsen, Christoffer T. and Jacobsen, Søren and Iversen, Line V and Troelsen, Lone and Theander, Elke and Houen, Gunnar}},
  issn         = {{0022-1759}},
  keywords     = {{ELISA; Line blot; Screening; Serology; Serum pools}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{1--8}},
  publisher    = {{Elsevier}},
  series       = {{Journal of Immunological Methods}},
  title        = {{Efficient evaluation of humoral immune responses by the use of serum pools}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jim.2017.01.006}},
  doi          = {{10.1016/j.jim.2017.01.006}},
  volume       = {{443}},
  year         = {{2017}},
}