Varicella-zoster virus IgM antibody fraction separated by minicolumn gel filtration in serodiagnosis of acute infection.

Gel filtration through Sephadex G-200 or Ultrogel AcA 34 minicolumns was applied to isolate IgM antibodies from sera of patients with varicella and herpes zoster (HZ). Serum samples were stained with Sudan III and Evan's Blue in order to monitor the separation process visually when running several columns at the same time. The presence of specific IgM antibodies was demonstrated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Rapid separation of stained sera by diffusion chromatography on minicolumns with successive determination of specific IgM antibodies in ELISA proved suitable for serological diagnosis of varicella, whereas the significance of IgM-specific antibody response in HZ seems uncertain.