An outbreak of hepatitis A investigated by immune electron microscopy and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

In a small outbreak of hepatitis A among members of a hospital staff, excretion of hepatitis A virus could be detected by immune electron microscopy (IEM) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 3 out of 3 cases tested. Significant increases in antibody titre could be shown in 4 out of 6 cases (IEM), and development of virus specific IgM was shown in all 6 cases (ELISA). Among these patients IgM could be detected after 3 months, while sera drawn after 10 months were negative.