Replication reduction neutralization test, a quantitative RT-PCR-based technique for the detection of neutralizing hantavirus antibodies.
Hantaviruses, which are mainly rodent-borne viruses, cause hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome in the Old World, and hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in the New World. A neutralization test based on quantitative RT-PCR, the replication reduction neutralization test (RRNT), was developed for efficient detection of hantavirus-neutralizing antibodies. The effectiveness of the RRNT was evaluated by examining several hantaviruses and hantavirus-specific convalescent human serum samples. All convalescent serum samples tested by RRNT caused significant decreases in hantavirus genomes with only one specific hantavirus species, which allowed a straightforward identification of the related hantavirus. The results obtained by RRNT were completely comparable with the results obtained by focus reduction neutralization test (FRNT). The RRNT approach is a reliable and rapid alternative for FRNT, hitherto considered as the gold standard for hantavirus serology.
Maes
Piet
P
Laboratory of Clinical Virology, Hantavirus Reference Center, Rega Institute, Minderbroedersstraat 10, B3000 Leuven, Belgium. pmaes3@uzleuven.be
Keyaerts
Els
E
Li
Sandra
S
Nlandu-Masunda
Véronique
V
Clement
Jan
J
Van Ranst
Marc
M
D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D006476:Orthohantavirus / Q000276:immunology*; D018778:Hantavirus Infections / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D009500:Neutralization Tests / Q000379:methods; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
D000914:Antibodies, Viral