Detection of specific immunoglobulin M to mumps virus in serum and cerebrospinal fluid samples from patients with acute mumps infection, using an antibody-capture enzyme immunoassay.

Abstract

An immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibody-capture immunoassay using peroxidase-labelled mumps antibodies is described and its suitability for the practical diagnosis of acute mumps infection is evaluated. All 45 patients with confirmed mumps infection showed specific mumps IgM antibodies in their sera. Similarly, mumps IgM antibodies were detected in cerebrospinal fluid samples and sera from 12 patients with meningitis. Among these patients 8 had positive mumps virus isolates from the cerebrospinal fluid and 4 had not. Conversely, mumps IgM antibodies were detected neither in 418 serum samples from adult patients expected to be negative for mumps IgM, nor in 184 cerebrospinal fluid specimens from patients with various central nervous system symptoms, nor in sera from 10 patients with high levels of IgM-rheumatoid factor. Among 20 patients with respiratory illness caused by parainfluenza type-1 virus none showed an IgM mumps antibody response. In 99% of cases with acute mumps infection the IgM-ELISA gave a positive result in the first available serum samples most of which were negative for CF and mumps IgG antibodies. The virus proteins which take part in the IgM-ELISA test immune reaction are mainly the nucleoprotein and to a lesser extent the membrane protein. The IgM-ELISA method, which can be performed in 6 hours, offers a reliable, sensitive and rapid alternative to routine methods for the diagnosis of acute mumps infection.