title: Performance of the Euroline Western blot assay in the detection of herpes simplex virus type 2 antibody in Uganda, China and the USA.
abstract: Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) worldwide. While glycoprotein G-2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays are commonly used for the serological detection of HSV-2 antibodies, they have low specificity in developing countries. The Euroline Western blot (WB) is a commercially available assay that is easy to perform; however, little is known about its performance characteristics. This study evaluated Euroline WB for the detection of HSV-2 antibodies compared with University of Washington Western blot in three geographically different regions: Baltimore, MD, USA; Rakai, Uganda; and Kunming, China. Among the 135 American men attending a STI clinic in Baltimore, MD, 72% (n = 97) were HSV-2-positive by Euroline WB, showing a sensitivity of 97.8% and a specificity of 81.8%. Among the 273 commercial sex workers in Kunming, 62.3% were HSV-2-positive by Euroline WB (sensitivity 96.9%, specificity 89.1%). Among the 437 Ugandans in Rakai, 67.3% were HSV-2-positive by Euroline WB (sensitivity 98.7%, specificity 65.4%). The Euroline WB has a consistently high sensitivity, but specificity varied significantly among the different locations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Neal
authors.forename: A A R
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Tobian
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Laeyendecker
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Ngo
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Redd
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Reynolds
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ashley Morrow
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Manucci
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Serwadda
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Quinn
mesh_terms: D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015153:Blotting, Western / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D002681:China; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000175:diagnosis*; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014454:Uganda; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic