Diagnosis of herpes simplex virus infection by immunofluorescence

Abstract

The utility of the indirect immunofluorescent antibody (IFA) technique for diagnosis of herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection was examined by testing specimens for this agent from 31 patients with encephalitis or meningitis, 17 with conjunctivitis, 19 with genital disease, and 1 with genital disease and meningitis. Brain biopsy tissue from four patients with encephalitis was positive by IFA and virus culture for HSV. Leukocytes in cerebrospinal fluid from these four patients and one with HSV meningitis were also positive by IFA, but virus isolation attempts on the fluid were all negative. Conjunctival scrapings from two patients with conjunctivitis were positive for HSV by both IFA and virus culture. Eleven of 12 culture-positive lesions of herpes progenitalis were positive by IFA, and 1 dark field-positive syphilitic chancre was also positive for HSV by both IFA and culture. Evidence for specificity of the results was provided by internal controls in each test and negative results from patients with other diagnoses. Thus, the IFA technique constituted a rapid, sensitive, and specific diagnostic method for the diagnosis of HSV infections.

Development of an indirect immunofluorescence assay for PCV3 antibody detection based on capsid protein

“…In addition, it is difficult to interpret ELISA results when the serum antibody titer is near the cutoff threshold. Compared with PCR and ELISA, IFA (immunofluorescence assay) can be utilized to visualize the localization of viral antigens inside cells, to detect viral antibodies in serum, and to investigate viral infection processes due to its accuracy and high specificity (Koh et al 2010;Taber et al 1976). Moreover, semiquantitative IFA analysis of antibody level in serum can also be performed based on fluorescence intensity.…”