[Detection of IgG and IgM antibodies to herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 in human serum using an immunoenzyme...

On the basis of borderline optical density values (OD) in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) resulting from comparative testing of this method with complement fixation reactions (CF), determination was made of a set criteria for negative, weakly positive and positive results of IgG and IgM antibody detection of Herpes simplex type 1 (HSV 1), respectively type 2 (HSV 2). Of the 192 examined specimens by ELISA, 69.2% and 49.5% IgG HSV 1 and HSV 2 antibodies were found respectively. The number of sera containing IgM HSV 1 od HSV 2 antibodies was low (5.7%), since in the majority of cases the relapsing form of infection was involved. The sensitivity of ELISA to IgG in comparison with CF was slightly higher with the HSV 1 antigen (69.2:68.2%), and apparently lower with HSV 2 (49.5:28.2%). ELISA permits partial differentiation to be made between HSV 1 and HSV 2 antibodies due to a greater degree of antigen purity compared with the unpurified antigen used in CF. In fact, CF is known not to possess the sensitivity necessary to differentiate between HSV 1 and HSV 2 antibodies. For diagnostic purposes, ELISA findings could be more appropriately expressed quantitatively, in corresponding measurement units.