Comparative performances of an HTLV-I/II EIA and other serologic and PCR assays on samples from persons at risk for HTLV-II infection

Authors: Poiesz, B.J.; Dube, S.; Choi, D.; Esteban, E.; Ferrer, J.; Leon-Ponte, M.; de Perez, G. Echeverria; Glaser, J.; Devare, S.G.; Vallari, A.S.; Schochetman, G.

Source: Transfusion, Volume 40, Number 8, August 2000 , pp. 924-930(7)

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

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Abstract:

BACKGROUND:

HTLV-I and HTLV-II are related exogenous pathogenic human retroviruses. Until recently, ELISAs based on HTLV-I antigens have been used to screen for the presence of HTLV-I or -II antibodies. The HTLV-I-based assays have not been as sensitive in detecting antibodies to HTLV-II as in detecting antibodies to HTLV-I. The Abbott HTLV-I/HTLV-II ELISA uses a combination of HTLV-I and HTLV-II antigens to detect antibodies to the whole HTLV group. The performance of this ELISA was compared to that of several HTLV-I-based serologic assays and an HTLV-II PCR assay in cohorts of South American Indians and New York City IV drug users (IVDUs) in whom HTLV-II is endemic. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS:

Sera from 429 South American Indians and New York City IVDUs were evaluated for HTLV antibodies by the use of three ELISAs (rgp21-enhanced HTLV-I/II, Cambridge Biotech; Vironostika HTLV-I/II, Organon Teknika; and HTLV-I/HTLV-II, Abbott), and a Western blot (WB) assay. Peripheral blood leukocyte DNA from each person was analyzed for HTLV-I and HTLV-II pol DNA via PCR. The HTLV-II PCR-positive samples were further subtyped via cloning and sequencing and/or oligomer restriction. RESULTS:

Two hundred four samples (48%) were positive for HTLV-II by serologic and/or PCR assays. All of the positive samples from the Indians and approximately one-third of the positive samples from the IVDUs were of the HTLV-IIB subtype. Comparative analyses indicate that the sensitivity and specificity of the various assays were: PCR, 98 and 100 percent; Abbott HTLV-I/HTLV-II, 78 and 95 percent; Cambridge Biotech HTLV-I/II, 76 and 96 percent; Vironostika HTLV-I/II, 71 and 98 percent; and WB, 73 and 100 percent, respectively. CONCLUSION:

There were no significant differences among the sensitivities and specificities of the HTLV-I/II ELISAs (p values, 0.056-0.438). The WB and PCR assays were much more specific than the other serologic assays (p≤0.03). However, the PCR assay is significantly (p<0.001) more sensitive than any of the serologic assays in the detection of HTLV-II infection. Thus, optimal detection of HTLV-II infection would seem to require both serologic and DNA PCR assays.

Keywords: IVDU(s) = IV drug user(s); PBL(s) = peripheral blood leukocyte(s); PTLV(s) = primate T-cell lymphoma/leukemia virus(e; RIPA(s) = radioimmunoprecipitation assay(s); WB = Western blot

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1046/j.1537-2995.2000.40080924.x

Affiliations: 1: From the Department of Medicine, State University of New York, Health Science Center, Syracuse, New York; the Central National University of the Province of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina; New Bolton Center, University of Pennsylvania, Ken

Publication date: 2000-08-01

Comparative performances of an HTLV-I/II EIA and other serologic and PCR assays on samples from persons at risk for HTLV-II infection

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