Multiplex fluorescent immunoassay for detection of mice infected with lactate dehydrogenase elevating virus

Commercially available diagnostic tools for the detection of lactate dehydrogenase elevating virus (LDV) infection have been restricted to measurement of serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity levels and detection of the viral genome by RT-PCR assays. Serologic diagnosis of LDV infection has not been widely adopted due to the belief that the formation of antigen-antibody complexes and B-cell polyclonal activation may confound interpretation of results. In the current study, we inoculated BALB/c, C57BL/6, and Swiss Webster mice with LDV to compare the diagnostic reliability of a commercially available multiplex fluorescent immunoassay for the detection of antiLDV antibodies with that of the LDH enzyme assay. The serologic assay was vastly more sensitive and specific than was the LDH enzyme assay. Moreover, the serologic assay detected antiviral antibodies throughout the 3-mo time course of this study. These results suggest that antigen-antibody complex formation and polyclonal B-cell activation had little effect on assay performance.