Analysis of anti-HTLV-I antibody by strip radioimmunoassay--comparison with indirect immunofluorescence assay, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and membrane immunofluorescence assay.
Antibodies against human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) in the sera from 60 patients with adult T-cell leukemia and 21 carriers who were suspected of having HTLV-I infection were investigated by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA), enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), membrane immunofluorescence assay (MIA) and strip radio immunoassay based on the western blotting technique (SRIA). The sera of 2 of the carriers who were seropositive in IFA and ELISA were negative in MIA and did not react with virus-specific proteins by SRIA. Two sera were negative in IFA and ELISA. These sera were positive in MIA and reacted with only the envelope-related glycoprotein (gp46) and not with gag-related proteins (p28, p24, p19) by SRIA. These findings suggest that the main antigens defined by IFA and ELISA are gag-related proteins and some sera which do not contain anti-HTLV-I antibodies give false-positive results because of the reaction to unknown cellular components. Also some sera may have antibodies against only envelope glycoproteins, and these sera may give false-negative results in IFA and ELISA.
D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000276:immunology; D017977:Deltaretrovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D007163:Immunosorbent Techniques; D007938:Leukemia / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011863:Radioimmunoassay / Q000379:methods
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral