First Diagnostic Antibody Tests Now Available for Zika Virus

The complete package of two serological assays for Zika virus (ZIKV) infection enables diagnosis as well as population screening and surveillance by rapid, sensitive, and specific detection of antibodies (IgM, IgG) against the virus in blood of infected patients.

The test package, developed by EUROIMMUN AG (Luebeck, Germany), contains ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) diagnostic tests and will shortly be used in studies at Fiocruz (Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz), an institute linked to the Brazilian health ministry.

“We have reacted immediately to the acute demand and developed ELISA and IIF tests which we have evaluated in cooperation with the Bernhard-Nocht Institute in Hamburg. The tests are suitable for the fast screening of large sample numbers and therefore enable monitoring of the virus spread,” said Katja Steinhagen, head of ELISA Infectious Serology, EUROIMMUN.

Serological tests are an important diagnostic supplement to direct detection, which is only effective during the viremic phase. Serological analyses are, moreover, crucial for epidemiological studies and monitoring. The EUROIMMUN test can detect both acute infections (in most cases from day-5 after onset of symptoms) and past infections. Test systems for direct detection of the virus (e.g., PCR) are useful only up to 5 days after onset of symptoms—after this, the virus itself is no longer detectable.

Zika fever is difficult to distinguish clinically from dengue fever and chikungunya fever, which manifest with similar symptoms and are endemic in much the same geographic regions. Thus, laboratory tests are crucial for effective differential diagnostics.

“Our ELISAs are based on very specific, recombinant antigens which are produced in our own research laboratories. Positive results are a clear indicator of a Zika virus infection” said Katja Steinhagen, “And our special immunofluorescence mosaics help laboratory physicians to investigate patient samples for other viral fever diseases in parallel. This is important for differential diagnosis, since in Latin America there are also dengue and chikungunya viruses, which cause similar symptoms and are transmitted by the same species of mosquitoes as the Zika virus. We hope our test systems can help to clarify as soon as possible whether there is a link between the cases of microcephaly and Zika infections.”

EUROIMMUN’S Anti-Zika Virus ELISA (IgM or IgG) tests provide automated detection using microplates coated with a recombinant protein from ZIKV. The highly specific antigen avoids cross-reactivity with other flaviviruses.

EUROIMMUN’S Anti-Zika Virus IIFT (IgM or IgG) utilize ZIKV-infected cells as the antigenic substrate. Positive and negative results are easily evaluated by microscopy. With the “Arboviral Fever Mosaic 2, the ZIKV substrate is incubated in parallel with substrates for Chikungunya virus and Dengue virus serotypes 1 to 4. This BIOCHIP combination enables secure interpretation of test results and differential diagnostic delimitation of ZIKV, Dengue virus, and Chikungunya virus infections.

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