title: Detection of antibodies against adenovirus protein IX, fiber, and hexon in human sera by immunoblot assay.
abstract: The 51 serotypes of human adenoviruses (HAdVs) of the genus Mastadenovirus are classified into the six species HAdV-A to HAdV-F. For the detection of genus- and species-specific antibodies in human sera an immunoblot assay was developed. The recombinant long fiber of HAdV-41[F] (Ad41Fi) and the native hexon of HAdV-5[C] were used as genus-specific antigens. The recombinant capsid protein IX (pIX) of HAdV-2 (Ad2pIX[C]) and HAdV-41 (Ad41pIX[F]), the C-terminal pIX part of HAdV-3 (Ad3pIXC[B]), and the fiber knob of HAdV-8 (Ad8FiKn[D]) were evaluated as representative species-specific antigens. Hence, the pIX amino acid sequences of numerous serotypes of all HAdV species were compared, and the cross-reactivities of pIX antigens with rabbit hyperimmune sera among HAdV-A to -F were analyzed. In an epidemiological study, 667 human patient sera, not selected for viral infection, were screened for adenovirus seroprevalence. The genus-specific antibody prevalences directed against the Ad41Fi and HAdV-5 hexon were 82.8 and 98.8%, respectively. The species-specific antibody prevalence of 44.7% against Ad2pIX[C], 36.6% against Ad41pIX[F], 26.4% against Ad8FiKn[D], and 18% against Ad3pIXC[B] showed an age-dependent distribution and correlated well with the frequency of isolated serotypes of the respective species in earlier studies (except HAdV-D). In conclusion, the immunoblot assay using pIX, fiber, and hexon antigens represents a valuable and new serological tool for refined adenovirus diagnosis as shown in an epidemiological study.
authors.affiliation: Friedrich Loeffler Institute of Medical Microbiology, University of Greifswald, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: Gisela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Flunker
authors.forename: Kornelia
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bruss
authors.forename: Knut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kallwellis
authors.forename: Herbert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liebermann
authors.forename: Tanja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Luettich
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Motz
authors.forename: Werner
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Seidel
mesh_terms: D000258:Adenovirus Infections, Human / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D000260:Adenoviruses, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007106:Immune Sera / Q000276:immunology; D015151:Immunoblotting / Q000379:methods*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011817:Rabbits; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D007106:Immune Sera; C018315:hexon capsid protein, Adenovirus