Comparison of immunofluorescence assay and multiplexed microparticle-based immunoassay for detecting Epstein-Barr virus viral capsid antigen antibodies.

A new multiplexed microparticle-based immunoassay was compared with the immunofluorescence assay that is used widely for detecting EBV-specific antibodies in immunocompetent patients. Serum samples of 162 patients submitted for routine EBV diagnosis were tested for viral capsid antigen IgM, viral capsid antigen IgG and serological profile interpretations with both systems. The result concordances were 94.2%, 93.6%, and 92.1%, respectively. Multiplexed microparticle-based immunoassay can be an alternative to immunofluorescence assay especially in laboratories receiving large numbers of samples.