title: Evaluation of immunoassays for detection of antibodies to human herpesvirus 7.
abstract: An enzyme immunoassay (EIA), an immunoblot assay (IB), and an indirect immunofluorescence assay were developed for detection of human herpesvirus 7 (HHV-7) antibodies in human serum. Cross-absorption studies with EIA or IFA using HHV-7 and human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) antigens indicated that most human sera contain cross-reactive HHV-6 and HHV-7 antibodies and that the degree of cross-reactivity varies between individual serum specimens. Inhibition of homologous antibody activity by absorption with heterologous virus ranged from 0 to 57% by EIA. However, for every sample tested, absorption with homologous virus removed more activity than did heterologous virus. An 89-kDa protein was identified as an HHV-7-specific serologic marker by IB. Activity to this protein was not removed by absorption with HHV-6 antigen. Of the three assays, the EIA was the most sensitive (94%), while the IB was the most specific (94%). Approximately 80% of specimens collected from German adults and children older than 2 years were positive for HHV-7 antibodies by these assays.
authors.affiliation: Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA. JXB1@ciddvd1.em.cclc.gov
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Black
authors.forename: T F
authors.initials: TF
authors.lastname: Schwarz
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Patton
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kite-Powell
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Pellett
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wiersbitzky
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bruns
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jäger
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Stewart
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis* / Q000097:blood; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003429:Cross Reactions; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000276:immunology; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000276:immunology; D016199:Herpesvirus 7, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015151:Immunoblotting / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral