Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1991. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
RECOMBINANT ANTIGENS AS DIAGNOSTIC AND SCREENING REAGENTS FOR HIV INFECTIONS: EXPERIENCE WITH A COMMERCIAL TEST
HIV Detection by Genetic Engineering Methods. Luciw PA and Steimer KS, eds. New York, Marcel Dekker, p. 77-98, 1989.. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE ICDB/90660256 Decker RH; Dawson GJ; Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, IL
Abstract:
Specificity and sensitivity of antibody-capture ELISAs are influenced significantly by the character and purity of the target antigens. Viral antigens generated by recombinant techniques appear to offer several advantages in new immunoassays for anti-HIV. Since most patients with AIDS and other HIV-infected subjects have antibodies to structural proteins gp41 and gp24, these antigens were produced in E coli and used in several types of test configurations to detect their respective antibodies. Competitive immunoassays (CIAs), in particular, were relatively sensitive, specific, objective, and easy to perform. CIAs for anti-p41 (anti-env) and anti-p24 (anti-core) were developed to be used together as a confirmatory method. Last year, the CIA was made available commercially to laboratories outside the United States. The characteristics of these Abbott Laboratories recombinant antigen-based tests are reviewed, and information on their performance and clinical utility is discussed. Topics include screening ELISA and immunoblot, one- and two-step CIAs, characteristics of env and core, CIA sensitivity and specificity, detection of anti-HIV by CIA, sensitivity and specificity of the Abbott CIA in other laboratories, rheumatoid factor and potential false negatives, detection of seroconversion by CIA, detection of HIV-2, changes in antibody titers that accompany the progression of disease, and new tests employing recombinant antigens. Results with the Abbott CIA are reproducible and quantifiable. A disadvantage is that the CIA will not reliably detect antibodies to two or more structural parts of the virus in one test. Antibodies to the recombinant envelope, as detected by CIA, were nearly universal in all confirmed anti-HIV positives. The anti-core CIA that has been part of the commercial system does not detect some specimens that are positive for anti-p24 by immunoblotting or radioimmunoprecipitation assays. The potential for clinical applications of recombinant antigen-based tests is good because the antigens can detect and quantify specific antibody responses. (33 Refs)
Keywords: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/DIAGNOSIS Antibody Specificity AIDS Serodiagnosis/*METHODS *Cloning, Molecular Comparative Study Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Human HIV/*GENETICS HIV Antibodies/ANALYSIS HIV Antigens/*GENETICS/IMMUNOLOGY HIV Infections/*DIAGNOSIS HIV Seropositivity/DIAGNOSIS Immunoassay Immunoblotting Viral Core Proteins/GENETICS Viral Envelope Proteins/GENETICS MONOGRAPH REVIEW 912130
M91C4111
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Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1991. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
