Oral fluid as a medium for the detection of hepatitis B surface antigen.
Currently viral antigens and antibodies are detected by traditional serological tests. However, the introduction of oral fluid as an alternative medium would allow other alternatives. The collection of oral fluid is, in comparison with venepuncture, less invasive, less painful, less expensive (i.e., no trained personal required), and safe (prevention of needle stick injuries). Also large numbers of samples can be collected easily for epidemiological purposes. Forty-three HBsAg positive and seventy-three HBsAg negative paired serum/oral fluid samples were tested. They were collected from patients attending university hospitals. The oral fluid samples were collected using the Oracol collection device and they were subjected to an IgG quantification assay to ensure their quality and quantity. The detection of HBsAg in oral fluid was carried out using a modified ETI-MAK-4 ELISA. The validation of this oral fluid test gave a sensitivity and specificity of 90.7% and 100%, respectively. The modified ETI-MAK-4 ELISA is a suitable test for oral fluid samples collected by the Oracol collection device for epidemiological purposes.
Hutse
Veronik
V
Unit of Epidemiology, Scientific Institute of Public Health, Brussels, Belgium. veronik.hutse@iph.fgov.be
Verhaegen
Els
E
De Cock
Liesbet
L
Quoilin
Sophie
S
Vandenberghe
Hans
H
Horsmans
Yves
Y
Michielsen
Peter
P
Van Damme
Pierre
P
Van Vlierberghe
Hans
H
Claeys
Françoise
F
Vranckx
Robert
R
Van Oyen
Herman
H
D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D012463:Saliva / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D013048:Specimen Handling
D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens