title: Rapid quantitation of cytomegalovirus and assay of neutralizing antibody by using monoclonal antibody to the major immediate-early viral protein.
abstract: An overnight assay, based on staining cytomegalovirus-infected cells with monoclonal antibody to the 72,000-molecular-weight major immediate-early viral protein, was compared with a conventional 14-day plaque assay for quantitation of cell-free stocks of cytomegalovirus laboratory strain AD-169 and 20 other clinical strains. Viral titers were quantitatively similar when determined by either method, but centrifugation of monolayers during inoculation enhanced viral infectivity an average of 4.1-fold. When used for scoring neutralizing antibody assays, monoclonal antibody staining yielded titers within one dilution of 14-day plaque-reduction assays in 54 of 56 titrations. Of 21 cytomegalovirus strains, 2 were not recognized by the monoclonal antibody used. Assay with monoclonal antibody offers a rapid and accurate alternative to plaque assays for quantitation or neutralization of cytomegalovirus.
authors.affiliation: Medical Service, Veterans Administration Medical Center, Portland, Oregon.
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Scott
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005347:Fibroblasts; D006801:Humans; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D017874:Immediate-Early Proteins; C044582:immediate-early proteins, cytomegalovirus