Indirect fluorescent-antibody technique for serological diagnosis of La Crosse (California) virus infections

Abstract

A clinically [human] relevant indirect fluorescent-antibody technique (IFA) was developed for the serological diagnosis of LaCrosse virus infections. The IFA (67%) was as sensitive as the hemagglutination inhibition (58%) and neutralization (58%) tests in the detection of antibodies in acute-phase specimens. IgM antibodies were detected by the IFA test in 48% (11 of 23) of these specimens. Diagnostically significant increases in IFA titer were detected in 86% (19 of 22) of the paired samples. Antibodies were detectable in some patients 7 yr after infection; however, the IFA test was not as sensitive as the other 2 tests in the detection of previous infections.