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THE ROLE OF SPECIFIC IgM GLOBULIN ESTIMATIONS IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF ACQUIRED RUBELLA
Author(s) -
Field P. R.,
Murphy A. M.
Publication year - 1972
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1972.tb47544.x
Subject(s) - rubella , rash , medicine , measles , antibody , immunology , immunoglobulin m , gamma globulin , virology , immunoglobulin g , vaccination
Sera from 47 patients with rubella‐like rashes, and from 12 pregnant patients with high hsemagglutination‐inhibition titres, were tested for rubella‐specific IgM globulin, using the sucrose density gradient centrifugation method. Thirty‐eight of the patients with rashes gave positive results, and in all but six of these a diagnosis based on rising antibody titres could not have been made, because an early blood specimen had not been collected. Specific IgM was demonstrated at 41, 42 and 62 days after the onset of symptoms in three different cases. In the remaining nine cases of this group negative results were obtained, and subsequently diagnoses of adenovirus, measles and glandular fever infections were established. The 12 sera from pregnant patients with no history of rash or contact, but with high antibody titres ranging from 640 to 5,120, also gave negative results. These findings strongly support the view that specific IgM estimations have a most useful role to play in the laboratory diagnosis of rubella. Unfortunately, at the present time, because of limitations imposed by the capacity of the centrifuge, IgM estimations should be restricted to those cases in which rising antibody titres cannot be demonstrated, yet precise diagnosis is vital.