title: Measurement of antibodies to varicella-zoster virus by using a latex agglutination test.
abstract: We evaluated a rapid, simple-to-perform assay for detecting antibodies to varicella-zoster virus by latex agglutination (LA); dilutions of test sera were added to latex particles coated with varicella-zoster virus antigen. We tested 878 serum specimens by LA and with fluorescent antibody to membrane antigen; of these, 227 were also tested by a commercially marketed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). LA was almost as sensitive as the fluorescent antibody to membrane antigen test and more sensitive than ELISA. No cross-reacting antibodies were detected by LA, and false-positive reactions were rare.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032.
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Steinberg
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Gershon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D002644:Chickenpox / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007841:Latex Fixation Tests / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral