Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 21, 2026
Measuring Influenza Neuraminidase Inhibition Antibody Titers by Enzyme-linked Lectin Assay
Published on: September 6, 2016
Detection of nephropathia epidemica (Puumala virus)-specific immunoglobulin M by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
1Department of Virology, National Bacteriological Laboratory, Stockholm, Sweden.
Abstract:
Nephropathia epidemica (NE), a less severe form of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, is caused by Puumala virus (PUU). This communication reports the development of a mu-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detection of specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies to PUU virus in human sera. Acute- and early-convalescent-phase sera (collected 1 to 41 days after disease onset) from 29 Swedish patients with clinical NE were tested for PUU virus-specific IgG and IgM antibodies by the indirect immunofluorescence test and ELISA, respectively. Late-convalescent-phase serum was also collected from 18 of these patients 3 to 24 months postinfection and assayed. The IgM ELISA values were strongly positive in sera collected during the first 2 months; at 3 to 9 months, they were negative or in the lower range of significance, and at 24 months all sera were negative. Paired sera from NE patients often fail to show seroconversion or a significant titer rise when tested by indirect immunofluorescence. Since all acute- and early-convalescent-phase sera were positive by IgM ELISA, this test could become an important tool for early diagnosis of acute human NE infections.
Insights
A new mu-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) effectively detects Puumala virus (PUU) specific IgM antibodies in patients with Nephropathia epidemica (NE). This method offers a reliable tool for early diagnosis of acute PUU infections.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Nephropathia epidemica (NE) is a milder form of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome caused by Puumala virus (PUU).
- Accurate and early diagnosis of NE is crucial for patient management and understanding disease progression.
- Traditional diagnostic methods like indirect immunofluorescence may not always detect early seroconversion in NE patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a mu-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for detecting Puumala virus (PUU)-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies in human sera.
- To assess the utility of the developed IgM ELISA for the early diagnosis of acute Nephropathia epidemica (NE).
Main Methods:
- Development of a mu-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for PUU-specific IgM detection.
- Testing of acute, early-convalescent, and late-convalescent phase sera from 29 Swedish NE patients.
- Comparison of IgM ELISA results with indirect immunofluorescence test for IgG and IgM antibodies.
Main Results:
- The IgM ELISA demonstrated strong positive results in sera collected within the first 2 months after disease onset.
- IgM antibody levels decreased significantly between 3 to 9 months post-infection, becoming negative by 24 months.
- All acute and early-convalescent sera tested positive by IgM ELISA, indicating high sensitivity for early infection.
Conclusions:
- The developed mu-capture IgM ELISA is a sensitive and reliable method for detecting acute Puumala virus infections.
- This assay can serve as a valuable tool for the early diagnosis of Nephropathia epidemica, overcoming limitations of other methods.
- The test's ability to detect IgM antibodies in early disease phases facilitates timely clinical intervention and epidemiological studies.
