Detection of primate herpesvirus antibodies including Herpesvirus simiae by enzyme immunoassay

An enzyme immunoassay (EIA) was used for the detection of antibodies to Herpesvirus hominis type 1 and 2 (HVH-1 and HVH-2), SA8 and Herpesvirus simiae (HVB) in human and nonhuman primate sera. Optimal assay conditions were approximately the same for HVH-1, HVH-2, and SA8 but different for HVB. The recognized lethality of HVB required studies to determine whether or not inactivated HVB could be used in the EIA outside a biohazard safety cabinet. Ten percent buffered formalin destroyed infectivity of antigen coated discs after 5 minutes while retaining activity in the EIA. Antibody titers to HVB determined by serum neutralization were up to eightfold higher in the EIA. Using EIA to survey sera for antibodies to herpesviruses, it was determined that most humans reacted to HVH-1 (88%), HVH-2 (81%) and SA8 (94%), and 38% to HVB. Whereas baboons reacted almost exclusively to their indigenous herpesvirus SA8 (44%), rhesus monkeys demonstrated a high positive rate to HVH-1 (63%), SA8 (94%), and HVB (50%). These data indicate that EIA is rapid, sensitive, reproducible, and useful in the detection of antibodies to human and nonhuman primate herpesviruses but does not, at this point, resolve problems related to cross-reactivity among these viruses.