A Hemagglutination Test for Detection of Adenovirus Antibodies

Abstract

A hemagglutination (HA) test for the detection of adenovirus antibody was developed. Tannic acid modified sheep erythrocytes treated with adenovirus antigen are agglutinated when incubated at room temperature with dilutions of adenovirus human convalescent sera. The adenovirus sensitizing antigen is stable at 56[degree]C for 30 minutes. Although adenovirus type specificity is not achieved with the HA test, it is superior to the complement-fixation test. This is demonstrated by some individuals infected with adenovirus who show an HA antibody titer rise, but fail to demonstrate a corresponding complement-fixation titer rise because of the presence of complement-fixing antibodies in the acute serum due to previous adenovirus infections. The HA antibody appears to be distinct from the neutralizing antibody and complement-fixing antibody. The time appearance of the HA antibody coincides with that of the complement-fixing antibodies in adenovirus infected individuals. This HA test may be used to diagnose adenovirus infections.