Serum neutralization assay can efficiently replace plaque reduction neutralization test for detection and quantitation of West Nile virus antibodies in human and animal serum samples.
Abstract: A serum neutralization assay (SN) was compared with the official plaque reduction neutralization test for the quantitation of West Nile virus antibodies. A total of 1,348 samples from equid sera and 38 from human sera were tested by these two methods. Statistically significant differences were not observed, thus supporting the use of SN for routine purposes.
Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Publication Date: 2014-08-06 PubMed ID: 25100824PubMed Central: PMC4266345DOI: 10.1128/CVI.00426-14Google Scholar: Lookup
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- Comparative Study
- Evaluation Study
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- Non-U.S. Gov't
Summary
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The research discusses the efficacy of substituting the serum neutralization assay method for the plaque reduction neutralization test in detecting and quantifying West Nile virus antibodies in both human and animal serum samples.
Introduction
- The subject of the research is the possibility of replacing the plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) with a serum neutralization assay (SN) method for the detection and quantification of antibodies to the West Nile virus (WNV).
- The West Nile virus is a common cause of mosquito-borne disease comprised primarily of fevers and, in severe cases, it can lead to fatal neurological disease in humans, highlighting the importance of accurate detection techniques.
Methodology
- To ascertain the viability of this substitution, the researchers compared SN with the PRNT by testing over 1,300 equid serum samples and 38 human serum samples.
- The PRNT is a standard testing method and highly specific for detecting seroconversion of antibodies in serum samples, making it an appropriate comparative benchmark for the SN method.
Results
- According to the study, no significant statistical differences were found between the results from both tests.
- This implies that the SN method could effectively and accurately detect and quantify West Nile virus antibodies in both human and animal serum samples, much like the PRNT method.
Significance and Conclusions
- The main takeaway from this study is that the SN method could be a valuable alternative to the PRNT method for routine purposes.
- Adoption of the SN method could simplify the process of detecting and quantifying WNV antibodies, improve efficiency and potentially reduce costs if the serum neutralization assay is easier or cheaper to conduct.
Cite This Article
APA
Di Gennaro A, Lorusso A, Casaccia C, Conte A, Monaco F, Savini G.
(2014).
Serum neutralization assay can efficiently replace plaque reduction neutralization test for detection and quantitation of West Nile virus antibodies in human and animal serum samples.
Clin Vaccine Immunol, 21(10), 1460-1462.
https://doi.org/10.1128/CVI.00426-14 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- OIE Reference Laboratory for West Nile Disease, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e Molise, G. Caporale, Teramo, Italy.
- OIE Reference Laboratory for West Nile Disease, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e Molise, G. Caporale, Teramo, Italy a.lorusso@izs.it.
- OIE Reference Laboratory for West Nile Disease, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e Molise, G. Caporale, Teramo, Italy.
- OIE Reference Laboratory for West Nile Disease, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e Molise, G. Caporale, Teramo, Italy.
- OIE Reference Laboratory for West Nile Disease, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e Molise, G. Caporale, Teramo, Italy.
- OIE Reference Laboratory for West Nile Disease, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e Molise, G. Caporale, Teramo, Italy.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Antibodies, Neutralizing / blood
- Antibodies, Viral / blood
- Horses
- Humans
- Neutralization Tests / methods
- Viral Plaque Assay / methods
- West Nile virus / immunology
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