Detection of specific anti-leptospiral immunoglobulins M and G in human serum by solid-phase enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect leptospire-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG in the sera of patients infected with leptospiral serovars hardjo, pomona, or copenhageni. All patients produced specific IgM and IgG detectable by ELISA. In contrast, only a few patients produced IgG agglutinins whereas all produced IgM agglutinins. The specificity and sensitivity of the test suggest that the ELISA anti-IgM technique is a suitable method for detecting leptospiral antibodies in human sera for diagnostic and epidemiological purposes.