Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies were used for detecting varicella-zoster virus (VZV) by immunofluorescence (IF) in clinical specimens inoculated on shell vial cultures. Vesicles of 74 patients with varicella or herpes zoster-like eruptions were tested by this method and by conventional cell culture. Further diagnostic tests were direct IF on smears (42 patients), the cytological Tzanck test (28 patients), and serology (30 patients). Both IF assays were performed with the commercial VZV-specific monoclonal antibody 3B3 (Ortho). Using the shell vial technique, we found VZV in 37 (50%) of the patients, on average after 3 days. The conventional culture method yielded 26 positives (35%), on average after 7.5 days. Twenty-nine of the shell vial IF-positive patients were also positive by direct IF on smears (30 tested), while 15 gave positive Tzanck smears (18 tested). The sensitivities of the shell vial IF test, the direct IF test, the conventional culture method, and the Tzanck test were about 95%, 97%, 70%, and 79%, respectively. For the specificities, we found at least 97% for the shell vial IF test, at least 91% for the direct IF test, and about 78% for the Tzanck test. We conclude that both VZV IF tests are much more reliable than the conventional cell culture method and the Tzanck test for the laboratory diagnosis of VZV infections.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.