Evaluation of a HSV specific monoclonal antibody reagent for laboratory diagnosis of herpes simplex virus infection.

A new FITC-conjugated HSV specific monoclonal antibody reagent (Syva Co., Palo Alto, Ca) was evaluated for the confirmation of HSV clinical isolates. The reagent was also compared to type-specific monoclonal antibodies for the pre-CPE detection of HSV from clinical specimens in centrifugation culture and by direct examination of specimens smears by direct immunofluorescent antibody staining (DFA). HSV was isolated from 75 of 232 specimens (32%). All 75 isolates were confirmed with both the type-specific antibodies and the HSV-specific reagent. In centrifugation culture HSV was detected in 36 of 105 (34%) specimens. The HSV specific reagent detected all 36 specimens that were positive with the type-specific reagents. HSV infection was diagnosed by DFA in 31 of 50 (62%) specimen smears. The HSV-specific reagent detected all 31 positive specimens. This reagent confirmed and detected all HSV positive specimens that were positive by the type-specific monoclonal antibody reagents. The reagent contains monoclonal antibodies specific for both HSV1 and HSV2 in a single mixture, which produces a highly sensitive HSV FA staining reagent.

Detection of herpes simplex virus by using A549 cells in centrifugation culture with a rapid membrane enzyme immunoassay.

The RAMP herpes simplex virus (HSV) culture confirmation test was compared with immunofluorescence (IF) staining with a specific HSV monoclonal antibody reagent for the detection of HSV in centrifugation culture. The RAMP test detected 47 of 57 IF-positive specimens (sensitivity, 88.6%) and agreed with 217 of 220 IF-negative specimens (specificity, 98.6%). The RAMP test can be performed in less than 15 min and gives an immediate visual result. However, the sensitivity and the false-positive and false-negative results need further investigation.

Evaluation of the CMV-CUBE assay for detection of cytomegalovirus serologic status in marrow transplant patients and marrow donors.

We evaluated a new membrane dot immunobinding assay (CMV-CUBE; Difco Laboratories) for the detection of cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibody in marrow transplant patients and donors. The CMV-CUBE assay was compared with a commercially available enzyme immunoassay (EIA; CMV STAT) and a latex agglutination (LA; CMVScan) test. Serum samples were collected from 311 transplant patients and donors prior to transplantation. A total of 164 serum specimens were positive for CMV antibody by one or more of the three assays, with 153 of 164 samples (93.3%) positive by all three tests. A total of 147 serum specimens were CMV antibody negative. CMV-CUBE detected 154 of 164 (94%) of the positive samples, EIA detected 160 of 164 (97.5%), and LA detected 157 of 164 (95.7%) CMV-positive samples. Compared with EIA, CMV-CUBE had a sensitivity of 95.6% and a specificity of 99.3%. Compared with LA, CMV-CUBE had a sensitivity of 97.5% and a specificity of 99.4%. CMV-CUBE is a simple and rapid visual assay which can be used for the qualitative detection of antibody to CMV in patient serum.