Development and Characterization of a 13-Plex Binding Assay to Detect Shigella Antibodies in Human Samples

Abstract

Shigella is the leading bacterial cause of diarrhea worldwide, with increasing levels of antibiotic resistance. The greatest burden is among children under five in low- and middle-income countries, and efforts are ongoing to develop vaccines against this pathogen. One of the challenges associated with the development of a vaccine against Shigella is the need for a multivalent vaccine covering the most prevalent Shigella serotypes. Epidemiological studies to better understand the prevalence of the different Shigella serotypes and inform vaccination schedules are very useful, together with clinical data showing the ability of vaccines to elicit cross-reactive antibodies. Here, we set up a Luminex-based method able to reproducibly measure antibodies specific to 13 different Shigella antigens in human sera. This method will allow to rapidly collect large amounts of data from analysis of serum samples from vaccinated subjects or people naturally exposed to Shigella, supporting the development of a vaccine against this disease.