[Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in rotavirus detection]

Reagents were obtained by means of which the method of the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was worked out, based on the double sandwich principle, for the demonstration of rotavirus antigen presence in the fecal samples. The reaction makes use of polyvinylchloride plaques that are employed in tablet packing, and enables the rapid quantitative diagnosis of rotaviral enteritis in both animals and humans. The specificity of ELISA has been demonstrated through the comparative investigation of various viruses and bacterial antigens as well as by means of the periodic study of experimentally infected calves. The investigation of a total of 207 fecal samples from diseased calves showed that 28.5 per cent reacted positively for rotaviruses by the immunodiffusion test, and 42 per cent--by ELISA. Rotavirus enterites showed an expressed age-associated curve from the first to the fifteenth day of age with a peak between the fourth and the seventh day.