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Contribution to laboratory diagnosis of mumps and parainfluenza
V Franková1, J Holubová, L Grubhoffer
1Institute for Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Prague, Czechoslovakia.
Abstract:
Specific IgM and IgG antibodies to mumps virus (MV) were detected in sera of mumps-patients by ELISA in agreement with the results obtained by indirect immunofluorescence (IF). Of given sera 37.5% contained IgM reacting in indirect ELISA also with the antigens of parainfluenza virus (PiV) T3. In all patients with respiratory illness over 2 years of age, the significant increase of antibodies to PiV in haemagglutination inhibition (HI) test was in good correlation with serum IgM and IgG antibody levels to PiV T3 determined by ELISA; but, in addition, 30.7% of these sera cross-reacted with MV antigens. The cross-reactions were eliminated by using MV-nucleocapsid antigen in indirect ELISA, or in direct ELISA using the peroxidase-labelled whole virion antigen. In some children under two years of age a discrepancy was observed between the significant increase of serum antibodies in HI and the inability to detect specific IgM antibodies by means of ELISA in their sera. The low-avidity antibodies appearing after primary PiV infection were probably washed off during the ELISA procedure.
Insights
This study shows that ELISA can detect mumps virus (MV) antibodies, but cross-reactivity with parainfluenza virus (PiV) can occur. Specific MV antigens help eliminate these cross-reactions in diagnostic tests.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Immunology
- Diagnostic Microbiology
Background:
- Mumps virus (MV) and parainfluenza virus (PiV) are common respiratory pathogens.
- Accurate serological diagnosis is crucial for differentiating MV and PiV infections.
- Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) is a widely used method for antibody detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of ELISA in detecting specific IgM and IgG antibodies to mumps virus (MV).
- To investigate cross-reactivity between MV and parainfluenza virus (PiV) T3 antigens in ELISA.
- To identify methods for eliminating cross-reactions in serological assays.
Main Methods:
- Detection of specific IgM and IgG antibodies to MV using ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence (IF).
- Assessment of cross-reactivity with PiV T3 antigens in patient sera.
- Utilizing MV-nucleocapsid antigen and peroxidase-labelled whole virion antigen to eliminate cross-reactions.
Main Results:
- ELISA results for MV antibodies agreed with indirect immunofluorescence (IF).
- 37.5% of sera showed IgM cross-reactivity with PiV T3 antigens.
- Cross-reactions with MV antigens were observed in 30.7% of patients with respiratory illness; these were eliminated using specific MV antigens.
Conclusions:
- ELISA is effective for detecting MV antibodies, but cross-reactivity with PiV must be considered.
- Using specific MV-nucleocapsid or whole virion antigens in ELISA can resolve cross-reactivity issues.
- Discrepancies in antibody detection in young children may be due to low-avidity antibodies.