A recently described herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 2 (HSV-2)-specific glycoprotein (gG-2) was purified on an immunoaffinity column prepared with monoclonal antibody. This purified antigen was used in an immunodot enzymatic assay on nitrocellulose paper for the detection of HSV-2 antibodies in human serum. The test was very sensitive in that HSV-2 antibodies were detected in the convalescent sera of 132 of 134 patients with recurrent genital infections in which HSV-2 had been isolated earlier. Antibodies to gG-2 were detected in 17% of sera obtained within 10 days after the onset of a primary HSV infection and in 95% of sera obtained more than 10 days after onset. The specificity of the immunodot assay was demonstrated by testing sera from 245 HSV-seronegative adults, 344 children, 29 nuns, and 13 patients with primary genital HSV-1 infections. None of these 631 sera was reactive with the gG-2 antigen. When compared with a microneutralization test, the immunodot assay was found to be more specific in detecting HSV-2 antibodies. Reproducibility of the gG-2 assay, obtained by retesting 391 sera, was 95 %. Thus, this assay has the sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility necessary for the measurement of HSV-2 antibodies in seroepidemiological studies.

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The diagnostic value of an immunodiffusion (ID) test with standardized precipitinogens derived from five Aspergillus species was determined with sera from 60 proven and 12 suspected cases of aspergillosis. The data demonstrated that the greatest number of aspergillosis cases were detected by the concurrent use of A. fumigatus and A. niger precipitinogens. With these precipitinogens, the ID test permitted the serodiagnosis of aspergillosis in 82% of the 60 proven cases and in 83% of the 12 suspected cases. The presence of one or more precipitins was indicative of aspergilloma, of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, or of invasive aspergillosis. Precipitins were detected in 93% of the sera from patients with aspergilloma, in 50% of the sera from patients with allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, and in 88% of the sera from patients with invasive aspergillosis. Although the presence of one or two precipitin bands could indicate any form of aspergillosis, the presence of three or four was strong evidence of either aspergilloma or invasive aspergillosis. The ID test was found to be 100% specific in an evaluation of its effectiveness with 65 sera from individuals with other systemic mycotic infections, bacterial or neoplastic diseases, and from apparently normal humans. In diagnosed cases of aspergillosis, the examination of serial serum specimens provided information about the clinical course of the disease. A reduction in the number of precipitin bands and significant titer changes were noted as the patients responded to therapy.

Several mouse monoclonal antibodies specific for human IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, and IgG4 were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to detect human IgG subclass antibodies to herpes simplex virus (HSV) antigens. The variable results with different monoclonal antibodies point to the need for well-characterized reagents in the study of antibody responses to infectious agents. The 204 sera tested were obtained from 157 patients with various forms of clinically manifest HSV infections and from several controls. IgG1 antibodies were demonstrated in almost all HSV-infected subjects and were the first antibodies to appear in primary genital infections. IgG2, IgG3, and IgG4 antibodies were detected in acute-phase sera, most often in patients with recurrent genital herpes but in none of those with primary infections. IgG4 antibodies occurred significantly more frequently in sera from men than in those from women with recurrent genital infections.