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. 1997 Dec;35(12):3264–3268. doi: 10.1128/jcm.35.12.3264-3268.1997

Evaluation of serological methods for diagnosis of Puumala hantavirus infection (nephropathia epidemica).

K B Sjölander 1, F Elgh 1, H Kallio-Kokko 1, O Vapalahti 1, M Hägglund 1, V Palmcrantz 1, P Juto 1, A Vaheri 1, B Niklasson 1, A Lundkvist 1
PMCID: PMC230159  PMID: 9399531

Abstract

Nephropathia epidemica (NE), Puumala (PUU) virus infection, is a febrile disease which is commonly associated with acute renal impairment. To differentiate NE from other acute febrile illnesses, a rapid and reliable serological diagnosis is important, and a number of different protocols have recently been introduced. In the present report we describe a comparative evaluation of six PUU virus immunoglobulin M (IgM) and seven IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) protocols based on native, Escherichia coli-expressed, or baculovirus-expressed nucleocapsid protein (N). Neutralization and immunofluorescence assays were included for comparison. Equally high sensitivities and specificities were obtained with three mu-capture-based IgM ELISAs using native, baculovirus-expressed, and E. coli-expressed N antigens, respectively, and by an ELISA based on purified E. coli-expressed full-length N adsorbed to solid phase. The assays based on truncated amino-terminal N proteins, including a commercially available PUU virus IgM ELISA, all showed lower sensitivities. For detection of PUU virus-specific IgG, ELISAs based on monoclonal antibody-captured native or baculovirus-expressed N antigens showed optimal sensitivities and specificities, while the assays based on E. coli-expressed N did not detect all PUU virus IgG-positive serum samples. A commercially available PUU virus IgG ELISA based on E. coli-expressed amino-terminal N showed a significantly lower sensitivity than those of all other IgG assays.

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Selected References

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