K. Kenney et al., An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to quantify 14-3-3 proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid of suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients, ANN NEUROL, 48(3), 2000, pp. 395-398
The detection of 14-3-3 protein by Western immunoblot is a sensitive and sp
ecific cerebrospinal fluid marker of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). We de
veloped a quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that relia
bly detects 14-3-3 in cerebrospinal fluid. In a prospective study of 147 ce
rebrospinal fluid samples, the mean 14-3-3 concentration among pathological
ly confirmed CJD patients (28.0 +/- 20.6 ng/ml, n = 41) is significantly hi
gher than the mean in the cerebrospinal fluid of those with other neurologi
cal disorders (3.1 +/- 2.9 ng/ml, n = 84). At a cutoff value of 8.3 ng/ml,
the ELISA has a sensitivity of 92.7% and a specificity of 97.6%. The 14-3-3
ELISA supports a diagnosis of CJD in patients who fulfill clinical criteri
a for possible CJD.