Considerations on the stability of IgY antibodies antitetanus toxoid

Abstract

Tetanus is an acute, occasionally a fatal, disease of the central nervous system, caused by the toxin of the tetanus bacterium Clostridium tetani. The current techniques used in the diagnosis and therapeutics of tetanus diseases employ monoclonal antibodies produced in mouse. The use of monoclonal antibodies has several advantages such as homogeneity and specificity. In contrast, a remarkable characteristic of polyclonal antibodies, especially the immunoglobulin class IgY, which is extracted from poultry, is obtained in greater amount than IgG antibodies. Therefore, the alternative production of IgY polyclonal antibodies against tetanus toxoid in chicken can become of great interest for immunology industry in therapeutic and diagnosis. In this work, IgY polyclonal antibodies against tetanus toxoid were produced through immunization of chickens with isolated toxoid and measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The effect of storage temperature on the stability of chicken IgY was measured through indirect ELISA. Results showed that the IgY antibodies were produced with success and easily isolated. The time and temperature influence was measured through indirect ELISA. Altogether, the results indicate the use IgY polyclonal antibodies purified from chicken as an alternative for the detection of the tetanus toxin with potential applications in diagnosis and treatment of infectious diseases.