BURKHOLDERIA PSEUDOMALLEI ANTIBODIES - serum

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Specimen: 5-10 mL blood in plain tube.

Method: CFT, immunoassay.

Reference Interval: Titre <8.

Application: The diagnosis of suspected melioidosis in patients who have lived in, or visited, endemic areas (SE Asia and northern Australia) and have presented with pneumonia, secondary abscesses or unexplained acute septicaemic episodes. Culture of Burkholderia pseudomallei from blood, sputum, or tissue is a more rapid and reliable means of diagnosing infection than is serology.

Interpretation: A positive test indicates past or present infection. IgM antibody estimations have not been helpful in differentiating active from inactive disease. A definitive diagnosis may be made if there is a four-fold rise in titre between acute and convalescent serum. A negative result does not exclude the disease.

Reference: Leelarasamee A and Bovornkitti S. Reviews of Infectious Diseases 1989; 11: 413-425.

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