Standardization of an Indirect ELISA for Serological Diagnosis of Aspergilloma

Abstract

Background: So far several literatures have discussed that GMP as a major cell wall component in Aspergillus species and can also be secreted into the medium as a component of the exoantigen. Moreover, one of the critical points in designing an ELISA is the preparation of the antigen. Objectives: The main aim of this study was the identification of GMP and standardization of an indirect ELISA for the serological diagnosis of Aspergilloma. Materials and Methods: An indirect enzyme linked immunoassay (ELISA) was developed and standardized for the serological diagnosis of Aspergilloma. Results: Among 500 serum samples, 35 had positive and 465had negative ELISA test against Aspergilloma. In comparison, serum samples were tested by immunoblotting test, considered as the standard. In relation to the immunoblotting, the ELISA presented 94.2% sensitivity, 99.5% specificity, 94.2% positive predictive value, 99.5% negative predictive value and 99.2% precision. Conclusions: It was concluded that the ELISA is a suitable method for large scale screening of antibodies against Aspergilloma. The easy techniques have shortened the required time of tests (approximately 1.30 hours for our ELISA, as opposed to 2.30 hours with commercial ELISA kit). This may be a substantial benefit for large numbers of samples that should be tested.