Improvement of rotavirus isolation in the cell culture by immune peroxidase staining

Peroxidase-labeled monoclonal antibody against rotavirus group-specific antigen (inner capsid) was used for the detection of rotavirus by immunoperoxidase staining (IPS) in trypsin-free MA104 cells within 18 h post-inoculation with clinical specimens. One hundred and twenty-one fecal samples from children with acute gastroenteritis were evaluated by IPS, conventional virus isolation in cell culture and a commercially available group A-antigen ELISA (Rotazyme II, Abbott Laboratories). Fifty-eight (47.9%) stool samples were found positive by IPS. In contrast, rotavirus was isolated from only 4 (3.3%) fecal specimens by conventional cell culture (i.e. demonstration of a cytopathogenic effect). A total of 93 (76.9%) samples were positive by ELISA. IPS permits rapid detection of rotavirus infections and detects shedding of infectious virus. The method should be useful for the investigation of nosocomial spread of rotavirus infection in hospitals, contamination of environmental surfaces and desinfectants.