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Published on: April 20, 2011
Combined use of complement and anti-immunoglobulin in an enhanced neutralization assay for antibodies to
D L Krah1, P J Provost, R W Ellis
1Department of Virus and Cell Biology, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, USA.
An enhanced neutralization assay was developed to permit the sensitive, specific, and reproducible measurement of antibodies to varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Optimal neutralization was achieved using a combination of guinea pig complement (C') and rabbit anti-human IgG. This provided 625-, 160- and 13- to 64-fold increases in dilution endpoints of human post-zoster serum, varicella-zoster immune globulin and representative sera from recipients of live attenuated varicella vaccine, respectively, above those measured in the absence of C' and anti-IgG. The specificity of the assay was shown by the absorption of serum neutralization capacity with VZV-specific antigen and the lack of concordance between antibody titers to VZV with those to either herpes simplex virus type-2 or cytomegalovirus. The antibody status of recipients of live attenuated varicella vaccine was established from the amount of neutralizing activity produced at a single optimal serum dilution.
An enhanced neutralization assay was developed to permit the sensitive, specific, and reproducible measurement of antibodies to varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Optimal neutralization was achieved using a combination of guinea pig complement (C') and rabbit anti-human IgG. This provided 625-, 160- and 13- to 64-fold increases in dilution endpoints of human post-zoster serum, varicella-zoster immune globulin and representative sera from recipients of live attenuated varicella vaccine, respectively, above those measured in the absence of C' and anti-IgG. The specificity of the assay was shown by the absorption of serum neutralization capacity with VZV-specific antigen and the lack of concordance between antibody titers to VZV with those to either herpes simplex virus type-2 or cytomegalovirus. The antibody status of recipients of live attenuated varicella vaccine was established from the amount of neutralizing activity produced at a single optimal serum dilution.
