Antigen Detection with Monoclonal Antibodies for the Diagnosis of Adenovirus Gastroenteritis

摘要

The authors have developed a monoclonal antibody-based enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for direct detection of enteric adenoviruses in stool specimens from patients with gastroenteritis. Tests specific for each of the enteric adenoviruses, adenovirus type 40 (Ad40) and type 41 (Ad41) were designed. The sensitivity of the EIA was compared to isolation of virus in Graham 293 cells from stools which contained particles of adenovirus morphology by electron microscopy. The standard for specificity was analysis of adenoviral genome profiles after digestion with SmaI endonuclease. The sensitivity was 95.8% (23/24) for Ad40 and 97.1% (34/35) for Ad41. The specificity was 95.7 (45/47) and 97.2% (35/36) respectively. The two type-specific monoclonal antibodies could be mixed in an EIA to identify enteric adenoviruses in stools without loss of reactivity in either type. The tests provide an effective and convenient means for rapid diagnosis and type-specific identification of enteric adenoviruses in gastroenteritis, and will substantially facilitate epidemiological studies of their infection.