title: Evaluation of a near-patient test and 2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-based assays for detecting anti-herpes simplex virus type-2 antibodies.
abstract: Several type-specific serologic assays for herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2), based on glycoprotein G1 (gG1) and gG2, have recently been developed. These include immunodot (POCkit HSV-2) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The diagnostic value of POCkit HSV-2, a near-patient test, and of 2 immunoenzymatic, type-specific assays was evaluated on 122 patients attending an STD clinic. Western blot was used as the reference test. The sensitivity of POCkit HSV-2 was good but the specificity was poor, so that in a population with low seroprevalence, a positive result is likely to be a false positive. Analysis of 2 currently available HSV type-specific ELISAs yielded results suggesting that the sensitivity of these tests may also be suboptimal.
authors.affiliation: Department of Histology, Microbiology and Medical Biotechnologies, School of Medicine, University of Padova, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palù
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Calistri
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cancellotti
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cusan
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mengoli
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000379:methods; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods*; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic