Fluorescent antibody responses to adenoviruses in humans

Specific IgG, IgA, and IgM immunoglobulin antibody responses to adenovirus infections were studied by the indirect immunofluorescent technique in six pairs of human sera obtained during acute and convalescent phases of the illness. In addition, 70 single specimens of sera showing adenovirus IgG antibody from different age groups from birth to the 60th year of life were titrated for the same antibody to adenovirus types 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7, and 170 serum specimens from the same age groups were screened for specific immunoglobulin antibodies against types 1 and 5. Specific immunoglobulin antibodies lacked type specificity and in acute infections measured heterologous antibody response as well. On the other hand, IgG antibodies detected in single specimens of sera by immunofluorescence correlate with surveys of the isolation of virus from patients and neutralizing antibody studies by other workers. Fluorescent antibodies appeared in all three fractions of the immunoglobulins in acute adenovirus infections. Although this technique may be used in the diagnosis of adenovirus infections there is no advantage compared to complement-fixation testing. However, the use of sera absorbed with group antigen may have a more useful place in serological epidemiology than in diagnostic work. In five pairs of sera obtained during acute and convalescent phases of adenoviral illness and in 70 random single specimens from different age groups, "T" antibodies were detected only in the IgG fraction. The paired sera did not show a significant rise to indicate the usefulness of "T" antibody study in diagnosis.