Evaluation of an enzyme-linked viral inducible system for the rapid detection of Herpes simplex virus

A commercial enzyme-linked viral inducible system (ELVIS HSV; BioWhittaker, USA) was evaluated in comparison with the spin-amplified tube cell culture (SATCC) method for the rapid detection of herpes simplex virus in 1007 clinical specimens. A total of 91 (9%) specimens were positive by SATCC. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of ELVIS was 88%, >99%, 99%, and 99%, respectively. Herpes simplex virus was detected sooner by ELVIS than by SATCC in 34 of 80 (42%) specimens. Preincubated ELVIS shell vials held at room temperature for 24 h prior to reincubation and inoculation produced results similar to those of freshly preincubated shell vials, with no reduction in either the number or the staining intensity of the infected cells. The results of this study indicate that ELVIS HSV is an accurate method for the rapid detection of herpes simplex virus in a wide variety of clinical specimens.