RAPID DETECTION OF ENTERIC INFECTIONS BY MEASUREMENT OF ENTERIC PATHOGEN-SPECIFIC ANTIBODY-SECRETING CELLS IN PERIPHERAL-BLOOD

Enteric infections and diarrhoeal disease are important causes of morb idity and mortality. Infections are often difficult to diagnose, espec ially when access to sophisticated laboratory facilities is limited. I n an attempt to develop a rapid method of diagnosis, which might not r equire an advanced laboratory, advantage was taken of the observation that precursors of lymphocytes secreting immunoglobulin A (IgA), gener ated in response to mucosal stimulation with an antigen, are transient ly resent in peripheral blood. Detection of cells in peripheral blood bearing IgA specific for a pathogenic microbe should indicate current infection. This hypothesis was tested using peripheral blood mononucle ar cells collected from Volunteers who were clinically 'normal', had e xperimentally induced shigellosis, had naturally acquired shigellosis, or had naturally acquired typhoid fever. The method was sensitive for detection of Salmonella typhi infection and less sensitive for detect ion of Shigella infection. The antibody secreting cell procedure has g ood potential as a rapid, simple diagnostic procedure if applied durin g the acute phase of infection.