The effects of vaccination with tissue culture-derived viral vaccines on detection of antibodies to equine arteritis virus by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

The research article investigates the impact of tissue culture-derived viral vaccines on the detection of antibodies to equine arteritis virus (EAV) using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The study found that these vaccines can induce the formation of antibodies to bovine serum, leading to false-positive results in the EAV ELISA test.

Development of an ELISA for EAV Detection

• The researchers developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect serum antibodies for equine arteritis virus (EAV).
• This assay showed impressive accuracy and consistency with virus neutralisation tests, particularly in horses that hadn’t regularly received commercially available tissue culture-derived viral vaccines.

Impact of Tissue Culture-Derived Viral Vaccines

• The primary focus of the study was to observe the effects of vaccination using tissue culture-derived viral vaccines on the functioning of the ELISA.
• The administration of these vaccines led some horses to generate antibodies to bovine serum, another type of protein found in animals.
• The bovine serum antibodies interacted with the bovine protein impurities within the EAV ELISA antigen, resulting in false-positives within the test.

Role of Non-Viral Protein Contaminants

• The study discovered non-viral protein contaminants to be closely linked with the EAV. These contaminants co-purified with the virus during the gradient centrifugation process.
• The presence of these contaminants could potentially interfere with the accuracy of the ELISA test.
• Therefore, any future design of diagnostic tests or vaccines should take into consideration these protein contaminants to ensure accurate and reliable results.