Multiplex Microsphere Immunoassay Identifies Three Flavivirus Infections
|
By LabMedica International staff writers Posted on 19 Sep 2019 |

Image: The MagPlex Multiplexing Microspheres (Photo courtesy of Luminex).
The explosive spread of Zika virus (ZIKV) and associated complications in flavivirus-endemic regions underscore the need for sensitive and specific serodiagnostic tests to distinguish ZIKV, dengue virus (DENV) and other flavivirus infections.
ZIKV is a member of the genus Flavivirus of the family Flaviviridae, which includes several pathogenic mosquito-borne viruses in different serocomplexes. The four serotypes of dengue virus (DENV) belong to the DENV serocomplex; West Nile virus (WNV) and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) to the JEV serocomplex; yellow fever virus (YFV) as a single member; and ZIKV.
Tropical medicine specialists at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, (Honolulu, HI, USA) and their colleagues developed a high-throughput and multiplex IgG microsphere immunoassay (MIA) using the NS1 proteins of DENV1-DENV4, ZIKV and West Nile virus (WNV) to test samples from reverse-transcription-polymerase-chain reaction-confirmed cases, including primary DENV1, DENV2, DENV3, WNV and ZIKV infections, secondary DENV infection, and ZIKV infection with previous DENV infection.
The NS1 gene (corresponding to amino acid residues 1–352) of ZIKV (HPF2013 strain) with a His-tag at the C-terminus was codon-optimized. Six purified NS1 proteins, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and PBS (as negative antigen control) were coupled individually onto eight types of magnetic carboxylated microsphere beads containing different fluorophores (MagPlexTM-C) using two-step carbodiimide process at room temperature. Microsphere immunoassays (MIA) were performed and read by a Luminex 200 machine. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were performed for DENV1-, DENV2-, DENV3-, and ZIKV-NS1 IgG.
The scientists reported that a combination of four DENV NS1 IgG MIAs revealed a sensitivity of 94.3% and specificity of 97.2% to detect DENV infection. The ZIKV and WNV NS1 IgG MIAs had a sensitivity/specificity of 100%/87.9% and 86.1%/78.4%, respectively. A positive correlation was found between the readouts of ELISA and MIA for the different NS1 tested. Based on the ratio of relative median fluorescence intensity of ZIKV NS1 to DENV1 NS1, the IgG MIA can distinguish ZIKV infection with previous DENV infection and secondary DENV infection with a sensitivity of 88.9%–90.0% and specificity of 91.7%–100.0%.
The authors concluded that the multiplex and high-throughput assay could be applied to serodiagnosis and serosurveillance of DENV, ZIKV and WNV infections in endemic regions. The study was published on August 23, 2019, in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Related Links:
University of Hawaii at Manoa
ZIKV is a member of the genus Flavivirus of the family Flaviviridae, which includes several pathogenic mosquito-borne viruses in different serocomplexes. The four serotypes of dengue virus (DENV) belong to the DENV serocomplex; West Nile virus (WNV) and Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) to the JEV serocomplex; yellow fever virus (YFV) as a single member; and ZIKV.
Tropical medicine specialists at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, (Honolulu, HI, USA) and their colleagues developed a high-throughput and multiplex IgG microsphere immunoassay (MIA) using the NS1 proteins of DENV1-DENV4, ZIKV and West Nile virus (WNV) to test samples from reverse-transcription-polymerase-chain reaction-confirmed cases, including primary DENV1, DENV2, DENV3, WNV and ZIKV infections, secondary DENV infection, and ZIKV infection with previous DENV infection.
The NS1 gene (corresponding to amino acid residues 1–352) of ZIKV (HPF2013 strain) with a His-tag at the C-terminus was codon-optimized. Six purified NS1 proteins, bovine serum albumin (BSA) and PBS (as negative antigen control) were coupled individually onto eight types of magnetic carboxylated microsphere beads containing different fluorophores (MagPlexTM-C) using two-step carbodiimide process at room temperature. Microsphere immunoassays (MIA) were performed and read by a Luminex 200 machine. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were performed for DENV1-, DENV2-, DENV3-, and ZIKV-NS1 IgG.
The scientists reported that a combination of four DENV NS1 IgG MIAs revealed a sensitivity of 94.3% and specificity of 97.2% to detect DENV infection. The ZIKV and WNV NS1 IgG MIAs had a sensitivity/specificity of 100%/87.9% and 86.1%/78.4%, respectively. A positive correlation was found between the readouts of ELISA and MIA for the different NS1 tested. Based on the ratio of relative median fluorescence intensity of ZIKV NS1 to DENV1 NS1, the IgG MIA can distinguish ZIKV infection with previous DENV infection and secondary DENV infection with a sensitivity of 88.9%–90.0% and specificity of 91.7%–100.0%.
The authors concluded that the multiplex and high-throughput assay could be applied to serodiagnosis and serosurveillance of DENV, ZIKV and WNV infections in endemic regions. The study was published on August 23, 2019, in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.
Related Links:
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Latest Immunology News
- New Web-Based Platform Helps Autoimmune Laboratories Manage Testing Complexity
- Routine Newborn Blood Spots Can Measure GBS Antibody Levels
- New Autoantibody Test Targets Pre-Symptomatic Type 1 Diabetes Screening
- Blood Test Differentiates Bacterial and Viral Infections in Febrile Infants
- HIV Monitoring Strategy Uses Drug Levels to Guide Resistance Testing
- Werfen Expands Automated APS Testing with FDA-Cleared and CE-Marked IgA Reagent
- Blood Biomarker May Predict Colitis Risk in Checkpoint Inhibitor Therapy
- Blood EBV Activity Biomarkers May Predict Multiple Sclerosis Relapse Months Ahead
- New Cellular Map May Help Predict Crohn’s Disease Course in Children
- Temporal Immune Profiling Reveals How Sepsis States Change Over Time
- Study Identifies Immune Cells That Drive Harmful Autoantibody Responses in COVID-19
- Gut “Memory” May Explain Why IBD Flares Return
- AI-Based Antibody Profiling Predicts Strength of COVID-19 Vaccine Response
- Immune Biomarkers May Predict Recurrent Checkpoint Inhibitor Arthritis
- Immune Cell Blood Test May Predict Melanoma Immunotherapy Response
- Study Reveals Viral Protein Driving COVID-19-Related Vascular Injury
Channels
Clinical Chemistry
view channel
New Insights Into Fetal DNA Could Improve Non-Invasive Prenatal Testing
Non-invasive prenatal testing is widely used to screen pregnancies for genetic conditions by analyzing DNA fragments in maternal blood. Although it offers a safer alternative to invasive procedures such... Read more
UK Project Advances Blood-Based Dementia Testing Toward Routine Clinical Care
Dementia is the leading cause of death in the UK, accounting for almost one in eight deaths, with more than 72,000 people dying from dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, in 2025. Despite this burden,... Read more
Noninvasive AI-Enabled Raman Probe Distinguishes Skin Cancers from Normal Tissue
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States and among the most common worldwide. Nearly 1.5 million new cases were diagnosed globally in 2024, including nearly 340,000 melanomas.... Read more
Screening After Pneumococcal Disease May Reveal Undiagnosed Blood Cancer or Immune Disorders
Severe pneumococcal disease requiring hospitalization often presents as pneumonia, particularly in older adults and people with cancer or compromised immune function. Because M protein testing and antibody... Read moreMolecular Diagnostics
view channel
Blood-Based MRD Test Shows High Specificity in Colorectal Cancer Trials
Patients with stage II and III colorectal cancer may require monitoring for residual or recurrent disease after treatment. Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) testing offers a blood-based way to detect remaining... Read more
Facilitated Cascade Program Increases Genetic Testing in Hereditary Cancer Families
Hereditary cancer risk can extend beyond an individual patient to parents, siblings, and children. Although BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations are linked to elevated risks of breast, ovarian, prostate, and other... Read moreHematology
view channel
New Donor Genetic Marker May Help Predict Stem Cell Transplant Success
Donor selection for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation plays a major role in relapse risk and survival for patients with blood cancers and other blood disorders. Despite advances in genotyping, uncertainty... Read more
Updated Ferritin Thresholds Improve Detection of Iron Deficiency
Iron deficiency is one of the most common health conditions worldwide, yet its nonspecific symptoms can delay diagnosis for months. Variation in testing practices and ferritin thresholds may contribute... Read moreImmunology
view channel
New Web-Based Platform Helps Autoimmune Laboratories Manage Testing Complexity
Autoimmune disease testing often requires laboratories to coordinate results across multiple instruments, manual microscopy, and patient histories. As testing volumes and workflow complexity increase,... Read more
Routine Newborn Blood Spots Can Measure GBS Antibody Levels
Group B Streptococcus (GBS) can cause serious infections in newborns. Protecting infants remains challenging because immune protection may depend on antibodies transferred from mother to baby before birth.... Read morePathology
view channel
Rapid Mass Spectrometry Test May Aid Glioma Margin Decisions
Glioma brain tumors are highly infiltrative and can extend into nearby healthy brain tissue, making tumor margins difficult to define during surgery. Residual tumor cells may contribute to recurrence and... Read more
Genomic Classifier Predicts Benefit From Adding Hormone Therapy to Salvage Prostate Radiation
Men who have undergone prostatectomy for prostate cancer may later develop a detectable or rising prostate-specific antigen, prompting salvage radiation therapy. A key challenge is determining who is most... Read moreTechnology
view channelLaser-Based Swab Analysis Shows Promise for Detecting Disease-Linked Odor Patterns
Disease-related changes in volatile organic compounds can alter body odor, producing measurable patterns in exhaled breath and bodily fluids. Current analytical methods can be complex, time-consuming,... Read more
Laser-Enhanced Assay Boosts Sensitivity for Colorectal Cancer Biomarker Detection
Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Early detection remains critical, but cancer biomarkers can produce only faint... Read moreIndustry
view channel
Collaboration Advances Automated Benchtop Platform for Routine Blood Testing
Routine blood testing is central to clinical decision-making, but access can vary across laboratory and healthcare settings. Broader use of automated benchtop platforms may help integrate testing more... Read more
Expanded Partnership Supports AI Biomarker Validation and Clinical Trial Deployment
CellCarta (Montreal, Canada) and Imagene AI (Miami, FL, USA) have expanded their collaboration to provide biopharma companies with a coordinated pathway for biomarker strategy, assay development, validation,... Read more
Collaboration Combines AI Cognitive Assessment and RNA Blood Testing for Earlier Alzheimer’s Detection
Alzheimer’s disease is often identified only after substantial neurodegeneration, partly because current diagnostic pathways are fragmented and difficult to scale. As treatment shifts toward earlier intervention,... Read more







