Comparison of serological tests for detection of antibodies to Sendai virus in rats

The sensitivities of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, complement fixation and hemagglutination inhibition tests for detection of serum antibodies to Sendai virus were compared. Virus antibody-free, 4-week-old, female Fischer 344 rats were inoculated intranasally with either egg-propagated Sendai virus or a noninfectious egg control preparation. None of the rats became ill clinically or developed pulmonary lesions characteristic of Sendai virus infection. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was the most sensitive of the three tests, particularly in detection of early antibodies to Sendai virus and detection of small amounts of antibody.