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Anti-Pneumococcal capsular polysaccharide Ab, IgG, serum

Alternate test name

PCP, APN

Lab area
Clinical Biochemistry - Immunology
Method and equipment

VaccZyme Anti-PCP IgG enzyme Immunoassay Kit (by The Binding Site).  Manually completed using wells pre-coated with the PCP antigen (1-5, 6B, 7F, 8, 9N, 9V, 10A, 11A, 12F, 14, 15B, 17F, 18C, 19F,19A, 20, 22F, 23F, 33F - Danish nomenclature).

Expected turn-around time
6-8 weeks
Specimen type

0.25 mL serum

Specimen requirements

Frozen

Storage and transportation

Send Frozen 

Shipping information
The Hospital for Sick Children
Rapid Response Laboratory
555 University Avenue, Room 3642
Toronto, ON
Canada
M5G 1X8
Phone: 416-813-7200
Toll Free: 1-855-381-3212
Hours: 7 days/week, 24 hours/day
Background and clinical significance

This assay is designed to measure antibody responses to pneumococcal vaccines incorporating 23 polysaccharides isolated from Streptococcus pneumoniae. These polysaccharides represent approximately 80% of the commonly encountered virulent serotypes. Immunization with 23-valent vaccines is recommended for elderly patients to reduce death due to pneumonia and for children over 2 years that are at risk of severe life threatening pneumococcal infection.

A patient’s antibody response may be evaluated by the serological determination of their IgG anti-PCP antibody levels pre- and post-vaccination using this quantitative enzyme immunoassay. Patients with repeated bacterial infections should be investigated for immunodeficiency and thus inability to respond to specific polysaccharide antigens. To assess the immunological capabilities of patients, clinicians will monitor the level of specific antibody levels before and after a Pneumovax immunization.

 

The response in 30% of subjects to vaccination with S. pneumoniae is attributable to C-polysaccharide (CPS) antibodies and not to specific anti-PCP IgG. These CPS antibodies confer limited protection against pneumococcal infection; consequently CPS absorption has been incorporated in this assay.

Disease condition

This assay is designed for the in vitro measurement of specific IgG antibodies against Pneumococcal Capsular Polysaccharide (PCP) present in human serum.

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