We used an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA) to study the prevalence and titers of IgG immunoglobulin to Coxiella burnetii phase I, and compared the ELISA with the indirect immunofluorescence assay(IFA) in studies of 900 serum
samples
from 200 patients with fever of unknown origin(FUO), 500 patients with various disorders, and 200 normal healthy persons. From 87 sera positive by ELSA(OD≥U.185), 84 were negative and only 3 were positive when tested by IFA(titer≥1:20). The 3
sera
positive by IFA consisted of 1 from the patients with FUO, 1frcm the patients with various disorders and 1 from the normal healthy persons. Of these, the patient with FUO was found to have the pneumonia, and that which belong to the group with
the
various disorders found to have the gastritis. But the influences of C. burnetii upon these symptomes were not clear. The ELISA yielded a higher percentage of positive sera than did the IFA. 3 sera positive by IFA(titer≥20) were all positive by
ELISA,
and their IFA titers and optical densities of ELISA showed a high correlation between both assays. Therefore, the ELISA used in this study was found to be a rapid and sensitive method for the screening of antibodies to C. burnerii phase L The use
of
highly purified antigens will allows more economic handling of large-scale serum determinations.
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