Comparison of Western blot (immunoblot) based on recombinant-derived p41 with conventional tests for serodiagnosis of human immunodeficiency virus infections.

Abstract

To evaluate the performance of a serological test for human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infections based on the use of a recombinant envelope gene-derived protein as the antigen, we caused expression of a 1.4-kilobase fragment of HIV.DNA that codes for the complete gp41 transmembrane protein in an Escherichia coli expression vector and used Western blots (WB; immunoblots) prepared with recombinant material (pEX-41) to detect antibodies to HIV-1. This test detected all 339 sera which were positive by a combination of conventional serodiagnostic assays and produced no false-positive results with 311 negative samples. Also no false-positive results were obtained with 20 sera from systemic lupus erythematosus patients which had high titers of cross-reactive autoantibodies. In six cases, the pEX-41 WB proved to be more sensitive than individual assays applied on their own, and in five cases it was even more sensitive than a combination of conventional assays. We tested 221 sera in both our pEX-41 WB and a commercially available recombinant enzyme immunoassay (EIA [Abbott]). The results were identical in 188 cases. A total of 27 sera containing antibodies to gp41 as demonstrated in the pEX-41 WB, as well as the Abbott recombinant EIA, had no antibodies to the recombinant core antigen as measured in the Abbott EIA. However, 25 of these sera did stain the 24-kilodalton band on a WB with purified virus. Six sera that were positive in all of the conventional confirmatory assays and reacted strongly with the pEX-41 WB did not recognize the surface antigen used in the Abbott recombinant EIA. We conclude that the use of WB prepared with recombinant-derived p41 offers a very sensitive and specific method to detect antibodies to HIV.

• Authors: J M Hofbauer, T F Schulz, P Hengster, C Larcher, R Zangerle, H Kofler, P Fritsch, H Wachter, M P Dierich
• Journal: Journal of clinical microbiology (J Clin Microbiol) Vol. 26 Issue 1 Pg. 116-20 (Jan 1988) ISSN: 0095-1137 [Print] United States
• PMID: 3277988 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Viral
• Autoantibodies
• HIV Antibodies
• HIV Envelope Protein gp41
• Reagent Strips
• Recombinant Proteins
• Retroviridae Proteins
• Viral Envelope Proteins

Topics

• Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (diagnosis)
• Antibodies, Viral (analysis)
• Autoantibodies (immunology)
• Cross Reactions
• Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
• False Positive Reactions
• Fluorescent Antibody Technique
• HIV (immunology)
• HIV Antibodies
• HIV Envelope Protein gp41
• Humans
• Immunoassay
• Immunoenzyme Techniques
• Reagent Strips
• Recombinant Proteins (immunology)
• Retroviridae Proteins (immunology)
• Viral Envelope Proteins (immunology)