Open AccessApplication of a Commercial Immunoblot to Define EBV IgG Seroprofiles
Author(s) -
Ory Fernando,
Guisasola Eulalia,
Tarragó David,
Sanz Juan Carlos
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of clinical laboratory analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.536
H-Index - 50
eISSN - 1098-2825
pISSN - 0887-8013
DOI - 10.1002/jcla.21726
Subject(s) - concordance , serology , antigen , epstein–barr virus , virology , antibody , capsid , immunology , indirect immunofluorescence , virus , immunoglobulin g , immunofluorescence , medicine , biology
Background Immunoblot (IB) techniques using different Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) antigens have been applied for detecting specific antibodies, making possible to obtain EBV seroprofiles in a single determination. The aim of this study was to evaluate a commercial IB for the detection of EBV‐specific IgG (Euroimmun, Lübeck, Germany). Methods A total of 117 samples classified as EBV primary recent infections ( n = 70), past infections ( n = 29), or not infected ( n = 18) have been used. The samples were characterized by immunofluorescence, by testing EBV capsid antigens IgM and IgG (using indirect approaches) and EBV nuclear antigen (by anticomplement technique; Meridian Bioscience Inc.). Results Using the cut‐off value as defined by the IB manufacturer, the concordance, relative sensitivity, and relative specificity were 85.5 (100/117), 94.3% (66/70), and 72.3% (34/47), respectively. If a corrected cut‐off value was considered to classify the samples, the corresponding corrected figures were 89.7, 88.6, and 91.5%, respectively. Conclusion Being a useful serological diagnostic tool, IB for testing EBV IgG seems to be an adequate approach to define EBV seroprofiles. However, efforts to better define the cut‐off value should be made in order to improve the performance of the assay in evaluation.