Evaluation of a test based on baculovirus-expressed glycoprotein G for detection of herpes simplex virus type-specific antibodies.

An immunoblot assay for discrimination of antibodies to herpes simplex virus (HSV) types 1 and 2 was devised using extracts of recombinant-baculovirus-infected insect cells expressing HSV-1 or -2 glycoprotein G (gG1 or gG2). The assay was evaluated by comparing its results with those obtained by using an immunodot assay based on gG immunopurified from HSV-1- and HSV-2-infected cells. Each of 110 human serum specimens was tested blindly and independently three times. At a serum dilution of 1:20, the maximum specificities were 96% and 100% and the maximum sensitivities were 100% and 92% for gG1 and gG2, respectively. Reproducibility was 99% among readers and 95% among individually tested samples of each specimen. Results obtained in two laboratories from a different set of 15 serum specimens were in complete agreement, indicating the assay is accurate and reproducible. The ease of antigen production should allow the test to become widely available.