Enzyme immunoassay for detection of human immunodeficiency virus-specific immunoglobulin A antibodies.
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.
Connor
E
E
Department of Pediatrics, UMD-New Jersey Medical School, Newark 07103.
Wang
Z
Z
Stephens
R
R
Holland
B
B
Palumbo
P
P
McSherry
G
G
Oleske
J
J
Denny
T
T
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
D015483:HIV Antibodies; D007070:Immunoglobulin A