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Testing for antibodies to AIDS‐associated retrovirus (HTLV‐III/LAV) by indirect fixed cell immunofluorescence: Specificity, sensitivity, and applications
Author(s) -
Hedenskog Mona,
Dewhurst Stephen,
Ludvigsen Carl,
Sinangil Faruk,
Rodriguez Luis,
Wu YinTang,
Volsky David J.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.1890190405
Subject(s) - antibody , virology , immunofluorescence , serology , blot , titer , retrovirus , biology , immunology , virus , medicine , biochemistry , gene
Seropositivity to the AIDS‐associated retrovirus, HTLV‐IIULAV, has profound implications. Simple and reliable tests are needed to detect such antibodies. A rapid, sensitive indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) on acetone‐fixed virusproducing CEM/LAV‐N1 cells was adapted for detection of human antibodies to HTLV‐III/LAV. Specific and nonspecific patterns of immunofluorescent reactivity were easily distinguished, and results paralleled those obtained by Western blotting and radioimmunoprecipitation (RIP), indicating that there is no need to confirm IFA positivity. In contrast, the commercial enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was less reliable. False positives occurred with sera from seven hemophiliacs that were negative on Western blots, and false‐negative reactions were observed on two occasions. These involved low‐titer AIDS‐patients' sera that were positive on Western blots, and from one of which virus was successfully isolated. Our results emphasize the requirement for confirmatory assays when the ELISA test is used for primary screening of sera for antibodies to HTLV‐LII/LAV. The IFA method is especially well‐suited to quantitative analysis of serum antibody levels. Our data suggest that serum antibody titers rise as disease progression occurs, ultimately falling as severe complications ensue. It is suggested that in laboratories where the demand for HTLV‐III/LAV antibody testing is not excessive (1,000–2,000 serahonth), IFA could serve as the only serological assay for both screening and epidemiological purposes.