Treponema pallidum triplet antigen
A Treponema pallidum triplet antigen construct is disclosed which includes three Treponema pallidum antigens (TP15, TP17, and TP47), as well as a ten amino acid leader sequence (tag 261) and human copper zinc superoxide dismutase (hSOD). This construct is optimized for in vitro diagnosis of syphilis infection. Plasmids containing DNA encoding the triplet antigen, host cells, production methods, detection methods, and kits are also disclosed.
1. A Treponema pallidum triplet antigen comprising the amino acid sequence as shown in SEQ ID NO:10.
2. The Treponema pallidum triplet antigen of claim 1 labeled with a detectable marker.
3. The Treponema pallidum triplet antigen of claim 2 wherein the detectable marker is horseradish peroxidase.
4. A kit for detection of Treponema pallidum antibodies, the kit comprising:
the Treponema pallidum triplet antigen of claim 1 ; and
a second Treponema pallidum triplet antigen of claim 1 , the second Treponema pallidum triplet antigen labeled with a detectable marker.
5. The kit of claim 4 further comprising positive or negative controls.
6. The kit of claim 4 further comprising calibration samples.
7. The kit of claim 4 further comprising one or more of enzyme conjugate, substrate for enzyme conjugate, buffer solution, and washing solution.
8. A method of detecting the presence of Treponema pallidum antibodies in a sample, the method comprising:
contacting the sample with a first antigen which is immobilized on a solid support and which comprises the Treponema pallidum triplet antigen of claim 1 , wherein Treponema pallidum antibodies present in the sample bind to the Treponema pallidum triplet antigen forming an antibody/antigen complex; and
detecting the antibody/antigen complex, thereby detecting the presence of Treponema pallidum antibodies.