title: Combined use of complement and anti-immunoglobulin in an enhanced neutralization assay for antibodies to varicella-zoster virus.
abstract: An enhanced neutralization assay was developed to permit the sensitive, specific, and reproducible measurement of antibodies to varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Optimal neutralization was achieved using a combination of guinea pig complement (C') and rabbit anti-human IgG. This provided 625-, 160- and 13- to 64-fold increases in dilution endpoints of human post-zoster serum, varicella-zoster immune globulin and representative sera from recipients of live attenuated varicella vaccine, respectively, above those measured in the absence of C' and anti-IgG. The specificity of the assay was shown by the absorption of serum neutralization capacity with VZV-specific antigen and the lack of concordance between antibody titers to VZV with those to either herpes simplex virus type-2 or cytomegalovirus. The antibody status of recipients of live attenuated varicella vaccine was established from the amount of neutralizing activity produced at a single optimal serum dilution.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virus and Cell Biology, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA 19486, USA.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Krah
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Provost
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Ellis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic / Q000276:immunology*; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D002460:Cell Line; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003165:Complement System Proteins; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D007223:Infant; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D011817:Rabbits; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014765:Viral Vaccines
chemical_list: D000888:Antibodies, Anti-Idiotypic; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D014765:Viral Vaccines; D003165:Complement System Proteins