MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODY BASED COMPETITIVE ELISA FOR THE DETECTION OF SPECIFIC ANTIBODIES AGAINST COXIELLA-BURNETII IN SERA FROM DIFFERENT ANIMAL SPECIES

A competitive ELISA system for the detection of antibodies against Cox iella (C.) burnetii in cattle, sheep, goats, horses and humans is desc ribed. The ELISA is based on a biotinylated monoclonal antibody with s pecificity for C. burnetii lipopolysaccharide in combination with stre ptavidin peroxidase. For evaluation and statistical analysis, 413 sera from cattle, sheep, goats, horses and humans were tested in parallel in the indirect immunofluorescence test (IFT). Furthermore, a total of 448 bovine and human sera were also tested with an indirect ELISA and 47 sheep sera were investigated using the commercially available ''Ri dascreen(R) AK EIA''. Sensitivity and specificity values for the compe titive ELISA described and determined with the aid of the indirect imm unofluorescence test (IFT) as reference were: cattle, 88% and 89%; she ep, 100% and 93%, goat, 82% and 96%, horse 100% and 93%, and man 42% a nd 96%, respectively.