Designation of an in-house ELISA for detection of VZV IgG and determination of antibody avidity by use of diethylamine.

Herpesviruses are ubiquitous in nature and both humans and animals harbour different species of this diverse family. However, only 8 species have been so far recovered from human beings. Different techniques (molecular and non-molecular) have been employed for rapid and efficient diagnosis of herpesviruses especially in case ofimmunocompromised hosts who are considered as high risk individuals.

Comparison of immunoassays for differentiation of herpes simplex virus type 1 and 2 antibodies.

Objective: To asses the commercial available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) for differentiation of herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and type 2 (HSV-2) antibodies.

Methods: The study was performed between January 1997 to November 2002 in the Division of Virology, Department of Pathological Sciences, Central Manchester Healthcare Trust and University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom. Assays based upon type-specific glycoprotein G-1 (gG-1) for HSV-1, and glycoprotein G-2 (gG-2) from HSV-2 were evaluated to differentiate between HSV-1 and HSV-2 antibodies.