New passive hemagglutination assay kit that uses hemagglutinin-sensitized erythrocytes for detection of rubella antibodies.
A new passive hemagglutination assay for the detection of antibodies to rubella virus hemagglutinin (PHAST-Rubella) was compared with the hemagglutination inhibition (HI) test and another passive hemagglutination test that uses a soluble rubella virus antigen (SA-PHA). When the immune responses of vaccinated individuals were monitored, similar rises in antibody titer were detected by HI or PHAST-Rubella, whereas the rise in titer detected by SA-PHA was delayed. Early-phase vaccine-induced immunoglobulin M antibody analyzed by sucrose gradient fractionation was detected to the same degree by HI and PHAST-Rubella, but early-phase immunoglobulin G antibody reacted more strongly in the HI test. When acute and convalescent serum pairs from rubella-infected individuals were evaluated, a fourfold rise in titer was detected by PHAST-Rubella and HI in 15 of 15 pairs, whereas SA-PHA, which is not intended for detecting antibody titer rises in acute infections, detected a rise in titer in only 3 of 15 pairs. In studies to determine rubella immune status, testing of 1,078 premarital and random serum specimens resulted in 98.6% agreement among the three methods in identifying rubella antibody-positive and -negative individuals. For the quantitative PHAST-Rubella procedure, a coefficient of correlation of 0.93 was obtained, in comparison with HI, when a panel of 40 characterized sera were tested. These results indicate that PHAST-Rubella reagents can detect rubella antibodies as well as HI reagents and thus may be used as a fast and accurate means of determining rubella immune status and for the quantitation of rubella antibodies.
D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests / Q000295:instrumentation*; D006388:Hemagglutinins / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000032:analysis; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D012412:Rubella virus / Q000276:immunology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014611:Vaccination
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D006388:Hemagglutinins; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic