title: Detection of herpes simplex virus type 2-specific antibody with glycoprotein G.
abstract: A recently described herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2 (HSV-2)-specific glycoprotein (gG-2) was purified on an immunoaffinity column prepared with monoclonal antibody. This purified antigen was used in an immunodot enzymatic assay on nitrocellulose paper for the detection of HSV-2 antibodies in human serum. The test was very sensitive in that HSV-2 antibodies were detected in the convalescent sera of 132 of 134 patients with recurrent genital infections in which HSV-2 had been isolated earlier. Antibodies to gG-2 were detected in 17% of sera obtained within 10 days after the onset of a primary HSV infection and in 95% of sera obtained more than 10 days after onset. The specificity of the immunodot assay was demonstrated by testing sera from 245 HSV-seronegative adults, 344 children, 29 nuns, and 13 patients with primary genital HSV-1 infections. None of these 631 sera was reactive with the gG-2 antigen. When compared with a microneutralization test, the immunodot assay was found to be more specific in detecting HSV-2 antibodies. Reproducibility of the gG-2 assay, obtained by retesting 391 sera, was 95%. Thus, this assay has the sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility necessary for the measurement of HSV-2 antibodies in seroepidemiological studies.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003429:Cross Reactions; D005260:Female; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000276:immunology*; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007223:Infant; D007635:Keratitis, Dendritic / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D011817:Rabbits; D012008:Recurrence; D018139:Simplexvirus / Q000276:immunology*; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014764:Viral Proteins; C045464:glycoprotein G, herpes simplex virus type 2