Comparison of five assays for antibody to varicella-zoster virus and the fluorescent-antibody-to-membrane-antigen test.
Three commercially available assays (the Varicelisa Test Kit [Whittaker M.A. Bioproducts, Walkersville, Md.], the VZV Indirect Fluorescent-Antibody Test [Electro-Nucleonics, Inc., Columbia, Md.], and the Litton VZV Bio-EnzaBead Screen Kit [Litton Bionetics, Inc., Charleston, S.C.]) and two enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays used in our laboratory, one using a membrane-associated antigen and the other using a soluble antigen dotted on nitrocellulose paper, were compared with a varicella-zoster virus antibody reference assay, the fluorescent-antibody-to-membrane-antigen test. All of the assays compared favorably to the fluorescent-antibody-to-membrane-antigen test when evaluated for sensitivity (0.95), specificity (0.84), and test-retest reliability (79 to 96%), except for the Litton assay, which demonstrated significantly different results for all of the parameters tested (0.55, 1.0, and 69%, respectively).
Larussa
P
P
Department of Pediatrics, College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032.
Steinberg
S
S
Waithe
E
E
Hanna
B
B
Holzman
R
R
D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D000954:Antigens, Surface / Q000276:immunology; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000032:analysis*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D007070:Immunoglobulin A; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic