Diagnosis of enteroviral meningitis with IgG-EIA using heat-treated virions and synthetic peptides as antigens

J Med Virol. 1993 Aug;40(4):271-7. doi: 10.1002/jmv.1890400404.

Abstract

Two recently developed enzyme immunosorbent assays (EIA) for the detection of significant titre increases in enteroviral IgG-antibodies were evaluated as diagnostic tools in 127 etiologically well-characterized patients with aseptic meningitis. One assay was based on heat-treated virions (H-EIA) and one on synthetic peptides (P-EIA) as antigens. The sensitivities, with virus isolation as reference method, were 0.67 by H-EIA and 0.62 by P-EIA, which were higher than by a routinely used complement fixation test (CFT, 0.51) but somewhat lower than the sensitivities found by two previously presented IgM-assays, mu-capture EIA, and solid-phase reverse immunosorbent test (SPRIST). The specificities of the two IgG-EIA techniques and CFT were apparently high, whereas the two IgM-assays showed positive reactions in some non-enteroviral cases. A relatively rapid increase in enteroviral IgG-antibodies was apparent using H-EIA and P-EIA. The two IgG-EIA tests contributed with considerable additional etiological information since significant IgG-rises were obtained in 13 patients by H-EIA and in 19 by P-EIA, respectively, out of the 56 individuals in whom enterovirus isolation was negative and a non-enteroviral diagnosis was not found. Thus, detection of enteroviral IgG-antibodies by H-EIA and P-EIA seems to be a valuable alternative to CFT for the routine diagnosis of enteroviral meningitis. The IgM-assays, mu-capture EIA, and SPRIST, may allow a relatively rapid report of an enteroviral infection. However, since both the IgM-tests are hampered by incomplete specificities, a confirmation of positive results by an IgG-assay should be carried out.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Antibodies, Viral / blood*
  • Antigens, Viral / immunology
  • Child
  • Complement Fixation Tests
  • Enterovirus / isolation & purification
  • Enterovirus Infections / diagnosis*
  • Enterovirus Infections / etiology
  • Female
  • Hot Temperature
  • Humans
  • Immunoenzyme Techniques*
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood*
  • Immunoglobulin M / blood
  • Male
  • Meningitis, Viral / diagnosis*
  • Meningitis, Viral / microbiology
  • Middle Aged
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Peptide Fragments / immunology
  • Virion

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Antigens, Viral
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Immunoglobulin M
  • Peptide Fragments