ELECTROCHEMILUMINESCENCE
IMMUNOASSAY FOR MEASUREMENT OF ANTI-BORNA DISEASE VIRUS p40/p24
ANTIBODY IN ANIMAL AND HUMAN SERA
K. Yamaguchi*,
T. Sawada, S. Yamane, K. Ikeda, R. Igata-Yi, Y. Horii, RW Waltrip
II, KM Carbone. Kumamoto University School of Medicine,
Eisai Tsukuba Research Laboratory, Tokyo Inst. Psych, Veteran
Int. Med, Japan, University of Maryland Psychiatric Research
Center, Division of Viral Products, FDA, USA
The prevalence of BDV-specific Ab
among patients with psychiatric disorders and healthy individuals
has varied in several reports using several different serological
assay methods. A reliable and specific method for anti-BDV Ab
needs to be developed to clarify the pathological significance of
BDV infections in humans. We have developed a new
electrochemiluminescence immunoassay (ECLIA) for the antibody to
BDV p40 and p24 using synthetic peptides and recombinant
proteins. Using this ECLIA system, we examined uncoded and coded
animal (rat and horse) and human sera for the presence of
anti-BDV Ab. In rats the ECLIA detected anti-BDV Ab using three
peptides of p40 and p24 or recombinant p40 and p24 proteins in
good concordance with known BDV infection and with results of IFA
and/or WB assay. The ECLIA correctly identified all
experimentally infected horses, and identified control horses
that were WB seropositive for BDV Ab. Among 900 blood donors,
1.0% was seropositive for BDV p40 and/or p24. Immunoreactivity of
seropositive sera could be verified for specificity by blocking
with soluble peptides or recombinant proteins. We confirm that
the ECLIA is a very sensitive and a specific serological assay
for BDV which can be performed rapidly and economically as a
screening tool on a large number of sera.