Development of an enzyme immunoassay for detection of sapovirus-specific antibodies and its application in a study of seroprevalence in children.
Sapoviruses (SVs) are an important cause of acute pediatric gastroenteritis. Due to the lack of appropriate diagnostic methods, the epidemiology of SV-associated illness remains poorly understood. Baculovirus and Escherichia coli expression systems were evaluated for the development of antibody detection enzyme immunoassays (EIA). Age-related antibody prevalence in children was studied using the new EIA. Because of the low yield of the baculovirus system, the E. coli-expressed SV capsid proteins were used to develop the EIA. The antigenic specificities of the E. coli-expressed SV capsid proteins were demonstrated using hyperimmune antisera raised in animals and sera collected from patients. A high prevalence (>90%) of antibodies to both SV (strain Mex340) and norovirus (strain VA387) was observed in children involved in a birth cohort at 20 to 24 months of age; however, at 1 to 3 months of age, <25% of the children possessed anti-SV antibodies versus >90% with anti-NV antibodies. The E. coli-derived SV proteins are an excellent source of antigens for the EIA. SV infection is common in the first 2 years of life. The low prevalence of maternal antibodies detected in Mexican children against SVs in this study is unique and needs to be addressed in future studies.
Farkas
Tibor
T
Division of Infectious Diseases, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229, USA. Tibor.Farkas@cchmc.org
Deng
Xiaoyun
X
Ruiz-Palacios
Guillermo
G
Morrow
Ardythe
A
Jiang
Xi
X
D000375:Aging; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D016367:Baculoviridae / Q000378:metabolism; D017250:Caliciviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism; D015967:Gene Expression Regulation, Viral; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D007223:Infant; D008800:Mexico; D029341:Sapovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies
D000914:Antibodies, Viral