How sensitive are the commercial assays for anti- HTLV III/LAV?

✍ Scribed by L. J. Oldham; H. J. Moulsdale; P. P. Mortimer; R. S. Tedder; P. Morgan-Capner

• Book ID: 102376928
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1987
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 250 KB
• Volume: 21
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0146-6615
• DOI: 10.1002/jmv.1890210110

✦ Synopsis

The sensitivity of nine commercial assays, Western blot, and a newly developed monoclonal antibody-based assay for antibody to human T lymphotropic virus type III/lymphoadenopathy associated virus (anti-HTLV III/LAV) were evaluated using a panel of mainly weak-positive sera. In tests on 20 sera three commercial assays and a monoclonal-based assay, representing two different solid-phase methodologies, were found to be more sensitive than Western blot. Our findings suggest that Western blot cannot be depended upon as the sole confirmatory test for anti-HTLV IIULAV. The continued use of the more sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), particularly those of dissimilar methodology, would be a more valid approach to confirmatory testing.