title: Competitive ELISA for detection of HHV-6 antibody: seroprevalence in a danish population.
abstract: A competitive HHV-6 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was established, utilizing HHV-6 rabbit polyclonal antibodies and HHV-6 cellular antigen. In total, 285 sera from Danish children aged 1-6 years were screened for HHV-6 antibodies. The lowest seropositive rate, 78% was found in the youngest age group from 1 year to 15 months. All 120 (100%) children aged 3 years and above were seropositive. The ELISA was compared with indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) using a group of 83 serum samples from 65 Danish patients (aged 4 weeks to 72 years). All but one of the sera (100% of patients) were positive in the ELISA, but only 71% of sera (65% of patients) were positive with both assays. The ELISA detected one seroconversion in a baby, which was not detected by IFA. The ELISA was found to be more sensitive than IFA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Statens Seruminstitut, Copenhagen S Denmark.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: B F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Vestergaard
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D002460:Cell Line; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003718:Denmark; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods*; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D015654:Herpesvirus 6, Human / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008875:Middle Aged; D011153:Population; D015995:Prevalence; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral