Abstract Background Simian varicella virus (SVV) is a primate herpesvirus that causes a natural varicella‐like disease in Old World monkeys and may cause epizootics in facilities housing nonhuman primates. SVV infection of nonhuman primates is used as an experimental model to investigate varicella pathogenesis and to develop antiviral strategies. Methods An indirect enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to detect SVV antibodies in infected rhesus macaque monkeys. Results An ELISA determined SVV antibody titers following experimental infection. SVV IgG was detected by day 14 post‐infection and remained elevated for at least 84 days. Conclusions The SVV ELISA is a safe and rapid approach to confirm SVV seropositivity and to determine SVV antibody titers in naturally and experimentally SVV‐infected monkeys. In addition to being a useful diagnostic assay to rapidly confirm acute disease or past SVV infection, the SVV ELISA is a valuable epidemiological tool to determine the incidence of SVV in non‐human primate facilities.
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