Can Saliva be used to accurately predict the level of antibodies present in Blood?
Diversity, Inclusion, and Gender Equity in Global Health Leadership: Some Lessons from a Global Health Symposium.
October 31, 2023
CIDRZ Donates 70 ECG Machines across Zambian Districts to Enhance DR-TB Treatment
November 9, 2023
Researchers have, in the recent past, been preoccupied with finding a non-invasive but effective sample, other than using serum, to predict the levels of antibodies present in blood.
While traditionally, serum has been the most widely used biological sample for measuring immunoglobulin isotypes following exposure to natural infection and vaccination, in recent times, saliva has emerged to be the most promising proxy biological sample.
The ability to rely on measurements of antibodies in saliva to accurately predict the level of antibodies present within blood is said to be very advantageous, cheaper, and quicker for early diagnosis and reduction of severe cholera outcomes.
Findings from a recent study conducted by the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) in collaboration with other cooperating partners promises to provide a breakthrough in this inquest.
According to this study which was investigating the accurate prediction of vibrio cholerae specific serum antibodies using non-invasive saliva techniques in naturally infected individuals, there is a significant positive correlation between saliva and serum antibody response.
CIDRZ’s Dr. Caroline Chisenga said the results of the study presented compelling evidence showcasing the potential of measuring vibrio cholerae antibody levels in saliva samples as a reliable indicator of corresponding serum levels.
“We tested paired serum and saliva samples obtained from a total of 63 cholera patients enrolled in a cohort study. The samples were collected simultaneously at the time of patient enrolment, allowing for a direct comparison of serum and saliva antibody levels.” Dr. Chisenga explained.
She added that the research study used the approach of utilizing vibriocidal antibodies (IgM/IgG) as markers for accurate determination.
Based on the research findings, Dr. Chisenga recommended that this less invasive technique can be extended for the measurement of many different antibody analytes, making it of high interest for antibody therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) applications and surveillance tool for cholera in endemic settings.
Dr. Chisenga was speaking during her poster presentation at the 4th Annual Network Meeting of the BactiVac Network in Birmingham, UK.
