DEVELOPMENT AND APPLICATION OF PROTEIN-G ANTIBODY-ASSAY FOR THE DETECTION OF ANTIBODY TO HANTAVIRUS

A new serodiagnostic method designated protein-G antibody assay (PGA) was developed for detection of hantavirus infection in various species of animals. The assay procedure includes reacting the sera with hantavirus-infected cells on glass slides, followed by incubation of biotinylated protein G and amplification with the avidin-biotinylated peroxidase complex. Specific antibody in rabbit, rat, mouse and Mongolian gerbil serum was detected by this method. The PGA titres were similar to those of the neutralization titre. In the sera of Mongolian gerbils infected with strain SR-11, antibody was first detected 10 days post infection, and the titre increased to 1:256 at 18 days post-infection. PGA was evaluated using sera of urban rats (Rattus norvegicus) captured in an endemic area of hantavirus infection. The negative (less-than-or-equal-to 1:1, 24/62, 38.7%) and positive groups (greater-than-or-equal-to 1:16, 38/62, 61.3%) were clearly distinguished. PGA titres were closely related to IFA titres in the sera. Two of 10 sera from Clethrionomys rufocanus and one from Apodemus speciosus captured in the same endemic area were positive to both PGA and IFA. These data indicate that PGA is a simple and useful method for seroepizootiological surveys of hantavirus infection, especially in wild rodent reservoirs.