The recombinant 120-kilodalton protein of Ehrlichia chaffeensis, a potential diagnostic tool

Abstract

DNA encoding two repeat units of the 120-kDa protein of Ehrlichia chaffensis was cloned into the expression vector pGEX and expressed in Escherichia coli. The sensitivity and specificity of a dot blot assay for detection of human antibodies with the recombinant protein were 86 and 100%, respectively, compared with an indirect immunofluorescence assay.