title: Enzyme immunoassay for detection of human immunodeficiency virus-specific immunoglobulin A antibodies.
abstract: Early diagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection may be difficult in adults with acute or recent HIV infection and in infants with perinatally acquired HIV. Detection of HIV-specific immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies in infant serum by Western blot (immunoblot) has been suggested as a reliable method to identify HIV-infected infants, especially those over the age of 6 months, and as an adjunct to diagnosis of acute HIV infection in adults. We developed a simple enzyme immunoassay for detection of HIV-specific IgA, using standard commercially available reagents. Enzyme immunoassay was comparable to Western blot for detection of HIV-specific IgA in sera from adults (n = 216), older children (n = 49), and infants born to HIV-infected mothers (n = 65). Specificity was 100% and sensitivity ranged from 80 to 92%. IgA-enzyme immunoassay is a simple, highly sensitive method for detection of HIV-specific IgA antibodies and is easily adapted to the standard clinical laboratory.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, UMD-New Jersey Medical School, Newark 07103.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Connor
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stephens
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Holland
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Palumbo
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: McSherry
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oleske
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Denny
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000635:transmission; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007070:Immunoglobulin A / Q000032:analysis*; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D015483:HIV Antibodies; D007070:Immunoglobulin A