Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of measles antibody

Abstract

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for the detection of measles IgG antibody (MEASELISA). This assay was comparable to the measles hemagglutination inhibition (HAI) test. Approximately 500 [human] sera from 3 centers were tested by MEASELISA and the HAI test. MEASELISA demonstrated values of > 99% for sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. Values were very precise with a mean coefficient of variation of 5.4%. MEASELISA values were shown by linear regression analysis to increase as HAI titers increased. A coefficient of determination of 1.00 was obtained from 1 test center. MEASELISA values were linearly related (r2 > 0.97) to MEASELISA titers, thus enabling quantitation of measles antibody from a single value. Data are presented that show MEASELISA to be equivalent to complement fixation for evaluating paired sera for the presence of a significant increase in antibody levels to measles virus.