title: Evaluation of three immunoassays used for detection of anti-rubella virus immunoglobulin M antibodies.
abstract: Three automated assays (Abbott AxSYM, Bayer ADVIA Centaur, and bioMerieux VIDAS) used for the detection of rubella virus-specific immunoglobulin M were evaluated. A total of 57 samples from individuals with evidence of infection with rubella virus were used to estimate sensitivity, and 220 samples from blood donors and individuals attending an antenatal clinic who had no evidence of recent infection were used to estimate specificity. Seroconversion panels comprising an additional 31 samples from four individuals were used to determine clinical sensitivity. Samples containing potentially cross-reacting substances were also tested. The sensitivities of the three assays ranged from 84.2 to 96.5%, and the specificities ranged from 96.8 to 99.9%. The Abbott AxSYM assay detected more reactive samples than the other two assays when a panel of 57 positive samples was tested. Bayer ADVIA Centaur detected more reactive samples in the seroconversion panels than the other two assays. All three assays evaluated reported a reactive result in 1 or more of the 48 samples containing potentially cross-reacting analytes. The assays demonstrated comparable performance in testing of a well-characterized panel of samples.
authors.affiliation: National Seratology Reference Laboratory, 41 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy 3065, Australia. wayne@nrl.gov.au
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Dimech
authors.forename: Lena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Panagiotopoulos
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marler
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Laven
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Leeson
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Dax
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D003429:Cross Reactions; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay / Q000379:methods*; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000032:analysis / Q000097:blood*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D012409:Rubella / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; C040901:rubella antibodies