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Journal of Clinical Microbiology, February 1999, p. 376-379, Vol. 37, No. 2
0095-1137/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.

Limits in Reliability of Glycoprotein G-Based Type-Specific Serologic Assays for Herpes Simplex Virus Types 1 and 2

D. Scott Schmid,1,* Denise R. Brown,1 Rosane Nisenbaum,2 Rae Lyn Burke,3 D'Anna Alexander,3 Rhoda Ashley,4 Philip E. Pellett,1 and William C. Reeves1

Division of Viral and Rickettsial Diseases, Viral Exanthems and Herpesviruses Branch, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 303331; Klemm Analysis Group, Atlanta, Georgia 303452; Chiron Vaccines, Chiron Corporation, Emeryville, California 946083; and Children's Hospital, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 981054

Received 20 August 1998/Returned for modification 7 October 1998/Accepted 18 November 1998

Type-specific serologic assays for herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2 based on glycoprotein G-1 (gG-1) (HSV-1) and gG-2 (HSV-2) discriminate between antibodies against HSV-1 and HSV-2. We previously developed a Western blot assay using gG-1 and gG-2 expressed in baculovirus, performed extensive validation studies, and determined that it was both sensitive and specific for type-specific detection of HSV antibody. Here we report that, among a cohort of Thai military recruits, the serostatus of some individuals changed from positive to negative over time (6.6% among those ever positive for HSV-1, and 14.9% among those ever positive for HSV-2). We tested a subset of these specimens in three other gG-based assays: an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, an immunoblot strip assay, and a Western blot assay. Positive-to-negative shifts occurred in every assay; the frequency of the shifts ranged from 6.1% to 21.2% of the specimen sets tested. There was only limited agreement among the assays concerning which individuals lost reactivity. This inaccuracy, exhibited by all of the assay protocols, was not predicted by validation studies employing specimens from cross-sectional studies and was most pronounced in HSV-2 testing. This argues for the inclusion of serial blood specimens in serologic assay validation procedures.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: CDC, NCID, Division of Viral and Rickettial Diseases, Viral Exanthems and Herpesvirus Branch, 1600 Clifton Rd., MSD-10, Atlanta GA 30333. Phone: (404) 639-0066. Fax: (404) 639-4056. E-mail: dss1{at}cdc.gov.

Journal of Clinical Microbiology, February 1999, p. 376-379, Vol. 37, No. 2
0095-1137/99/$04.00+0
Copyright © 1999, American Society for Microbiology. All rights reserved.


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