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Immunoglobulin A and M patterns to human cytomegalovirus during recurrent infection in patients with AIDS using a
1Department of Medical Virology, University Clinics of Frankfurt a. M., Germany.
Insights
Western blot detects more immunoglobulin A and M antibodies to human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) in AIDS patients with active infections than ELISA. However, some healthy individuals also show these HCMV antibodies.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Virology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a common virus that can cause serious illness in immunocompromised individuals, such as those with AIDS.
- Detecting active HCMV infection is crucial for timely treatment and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the diagnostic performance of Western blot and ELISA for detecting immunoglobulin A (IgA) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies to HCMV.
- To investigate the presence of HCMV-specific IgA and IgM antibodies in AIDS patients with active infections and healthy seropositive individuals.
Main Methods:
- Sera from 61 actively HCMV-infected AIDS patients and 28 healthy HCMV seropositive controls were tested.
- Western blot (modi-blotting) and ELISA were used to detect HCMV-specific IgA and IgM antibodies.
Main Results:
- Western blot showed significantly higher detection rates for both IgA (78.7% vs. 52.5%) and IgM (83.6% vs. 13.1%) compared to ELISA in actively infected AIDS patients.
- Healthy seropositive individuals exhibited weak IgA (35.7%) and IgM (21.4%) reactivity to specific HCMV bands by Western blot, which were not detected by ELISA.
- Additional viral polypeptide bands were observed more frequently with IgA (47.5%) than IgM (29.5%) in actively infected patients.
Conclusions:
- Western blot is a more sensitive technique for detecting active HCMV infections in AIDS patients.
- HCMV-specific IgA and IgM antibodies can be present in a subset of HCMV-seropositive healthy individuals without active infection.
- Broader immune reactions detected by HCMV Western blot assay are associated with active infection but not universally present in all actively infected patients.
Abstract:
Immunoglobulin A and M patterns to human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) were investigated in sera from actively HCMV infected AIDS patients (n = 61) and healthy HCMV seropositive controls (n = 28) by a Western blot method (modi-blotting) and ELISA. The Western blot showed a higher detection rate for both IgA (78.7% vs. 52.5%) and IgM (83.6% vs. 13.1%) than ELISA in the immunocompromised patients suffering from active HCMV infection. Of the healthy seropositive individuals, 35.7% and 21.4% had a weak positive IgA- and IgM-class antibody reactivity respectively with HCMV-specific bands in the immunoblot. Immunoglobulins M and A were not detected by ELISA in the healthy control group. Immunoreactions in this group were restricted to viral polypeptides with M(r) of 68 kDa and 123 kDa. Additional bands were found in the actively infected patients only and were observed more frequently with IgA than IgM (47.5% vs. 29.5%). Results from the present study indicate, that using a sensitive Western blot technique, a higher serologic detection rate of active recurrent infection is achieved in AIDS patients. Nevertheless, immunoglobulin A and M are detected in a certain percentage of HCMV-seropositive healthy individuals not suffering from active HCMV infection. Broader immune reactions of HCMV-IgA as determined by HCMV Western blot assay are associated with an active infection, but were not present in all the actively infected patients.
