CMV IgM
Enzyme Immuno Assay (ELISA) for the determination of IgM class antibodies to Cytomegalovirus or CMV in human plasma and sera with the "capture" system.
Cytomegalovirus or CMV is an ubiquitous human pathogen, whose infection is particular prevalent among children and young adults. Infections by CMV continue to be an important health problem in certain patient populations, such as newborns, graft recipients of solid organs or bone marrow and AIDS patients. In these groups CMV is a major cause of morbility and mortality.
The detection of virus-specific IgG and IgM antibodies is of great value in the diagnosis of acute/primary virus infections or reactivation of a latent one, in the absence of typical clinical symptoms.
Asymptomatic infections usually happen for CMV in apparently healthy individuals, during pregnancy and several diseases as a co-infective agent.
Recently developed IgM capture ELISA’s for CMV of new generation, taking advantage of CMV specific synthetic antigens, provide the clinician with a powerful and reliable diagnostic test, not affected by rheumatoid factor, for the monitoring of “risk” population.
The assay is based on the principle of “IgM capture” where IgM class antibodies in the sample are first captured by the solid phase coated with anti hIgM antibody.
After washing out all the other components of the sample and in particular IgG antibodies, in the 2nd incubation bound anti CMV IgM are detected by the addition of a complex composed of native CMV antigens and CMV specific monoclonal antibodies, labeled with peroxidase (HRP).
After incubation, microwells are washed to remove unbound conjugate and then the chromogen/substrate is added. In the presence of bound conjugate the colorless substrate is hydrolyzed to a colored end-product, whose optical density may be detected and is proportional to the amount of IgM antibodies to Cytomegalovirus present in the sample.
A system is described how to control whether the positivity shown by a sample is true or not (Confirmation Test), helpful for the clinician to make a correct interpretation of results.
- Engvall E. and Perlmann P.. J. Immunochemistry, 8, 871- 874, 1971
- Engvall E. and Perlmann P.. J.Immunol. 109, 129-135, 1971
- Remington J.S. and Klein J.O.. In “Infectious diseases of the fetus and newborn infant”. Sanders, Philadelphia, London, Toronto.
- Volk W.A.. In “Essential of Medical Microbiology”. 2nd ed. pp 729, G.B.Lippincott Company, Philadelphia, New York, S.Josè, Toronto.
- Betts R.F. and al.. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 143:821- 826, 1981.
- Engelhard D. et al.. Journal of Infectious Diseases. 163.628-630, 1991.
- Griffiths P.D. et al.. Journal of Infectious Diseases. 145. 647-653, 1982
- Kraat Y.J. et al.. Journal of Clin.Microbiol.. 30: 522-524, 1992.
- Landini M.P. et al.. Eur.J.Clin.Microbiol.. 8: 159-163, 1989