Rubella immunity testing by mixed hemadsorption

A mixed hemadsorption (MH) test for naturally acquired rubella immunity and immune responses after rubella vaccination has been compared with the hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) test, the immunodiffusion (ID) test, the neutralization test (NT), the hemolysis-in-gel (HIG) test and the indirect immunofluorescence (IF) test. The MH test was approximately equivalent to the HI test and the NT as to sensitivity for the early response to rubella vaccination, and all three tests are thought to measure protective antibodies, i.e. antibodies supposedly directed against envelope antigens, to about the same extent. The MH test for rubella antibodies is especially suited for laboratories in which this type of test is routinely used for other purposes, e.g. rabies, respiratory syncytial virus, herpes simplex, varicella and certain auto-antibodies. Where the method is already standard it may be preferable to the NT which, although of similar clinical value requires tedious standardization. Both tests may be necessary in cases where the HI test is equivocal or hampered by non-removable on-specific inhibitors.