Skip to main content
Journal of Clinical Microbiology logoLink to Journal of Clinical Microbiology
. 1992 Mar;30(3):564–569. doi: 10.1128/jcm.30.3.564-569.1992

Performance and reliability of the Enzygnost measles enzyme-linked immuno-sorbent assay for detection of measles virus-specific immunoglobulin M antibody during a large measles epidemic.

G Ozanne 1, M A d'Halewyn 1
PMCID: PMC265110  PMID: 1551971

Abstract

Evaluation of the Enzygnost Measles Enzyme-Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay kit (Behring) performance to detect specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) was carried out with 3,297 single serum samples and 898 paired serum samples collected during a measles epidemic (10,184 reported cases) in Quebec, Canada. Anti-measles IgM and IgG were detected by using the Enzygnost kit with the appropriate conjugates. Complement-fixing (CF) antibody (Ab) titers were assessed by the laboratory branch complement fixation micromethod. The Centers for Disease Control's clinical measles case definition was used. A modification of the manufacturer's optical density interpretation algorithm was introduced to allow for equivocal results, in addition to positive and negative ones. These three categories differed as to their association with a significant increase in CF Ab titer and the time between the onset of symptoms and phlebotomy. The IgM positivity rate for complement fixation-confirmed measles cases was 96.6% for vaccinated subjects and 100% for nonvaccinated subjects. The daily percentage of IgM seropositivity that was detected for subjects who became IgM positive within 30 days increased gradually from 40 to 90% for sera taken 1 to 7 days after the onset of symptoms, and it plateaued at 100% for sera taken 16 to 30 days after the onset of symptoms. IgM seropositivity was strongly associated with IgG seroconversion, CF Ab titer increase, and clinical measles (P less than 0.0001). Reproducibility was 100% for nonreactive sera and 99.1% for reactive sera. In conclusion, the Enzygnost Measles Enzyme-Linked Immuno-Sorbent Assay kit performed adequately to confirm measles virus infection during this epidemic. A second serum sample should be tested when an early-acute-phase serum sample is IgM negative.

Full text

PDF

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Black F. L. Measles active and passive immunity in a worldwide perspective. Prog Med Virol. 1989;36:1–33. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Edmonson M. B., Addiss D. G., McPherson J. T., Berg J. L., Circo S. R., Davis J. P. Mild measles and secondary vaccine failure during a sustained outbreak in a highly vaccinated population. JAMA. 1990 May 9;263(18):2467–2471. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Erdman D. D., Anderson L. J., Adams D. R., Stewart J. A., Markowitz L. E., Bellini W. J. Evaluation of monoclonal antibody-based capture enzyme immunoassays for detection of specific antibodies to measles virus. J Clin Microbiol. 1991 Jul;29(7):1466–1471. doi: 10.1128/jcm.29.7.1466-1471.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. James K. Immunoserology of infectious diseases. Clin Microbiol Rev. 1990 Apr;3(2):132–152. doi: 10.1128/cmr.3.2.132. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Lievens A. W., Brunell P. A. Specific immunoglobulin M enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for confirming the diagnosis of measles. J Clin Microbiol. 1986 Sep;24(3):391–394. doi: 10.1128/jcm.24.3.391-394.1986. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Ozanne G., Fauvel M. Performance and reliability of five commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kits in screening for anti-human immunodeficiency virus antibody in high-risk subjects. J Clin Microbiol. 1988 Aug;26(8):1496–1500. doi: 10.1128/jcm.26.8.1496-1500.1988. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Rossier E., Miller H., McCulloch B., Sullivan L., Ward K. Comparison of immunofluorescence and enzyme immunoassay for detection of measles-specific immunoglobulin M antibody. J Clin Microbiol. 1991 May;29(5):1069–1071. doi: 10.1128/jcm.29.5.1069-1071.1991. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Salonen E. M., Vaheri A., Suni J., Wager O. Rheumatoid factor in acute viral infections: interference with determination of IgM, IgG, and IgA antibodies in an enzyme immunoassay. J Infect Dis. 1980 Aug;142(2):250–255. doi: 10.1093/infdis/142.2.250. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Sekla L., Stackiw W., Eibisch G., Johnson I. An evaluation of measles serodiagnosis during an outbreak in a vaccinated community. Clin Invest Med. 1988 Aug;11(4):304–309. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Clinical Microbiology are provided here courtesy of American Society for Microbiology (ASM)

RESOURCES