Coxsackie B virus-specific IgM responses in coronary care unit patients.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test using polyvalent antigens and antisera was used to detect Coxsackie B virus-specific IgM responses in 329 patients admitted to the Coronary Care Unit, Wellington Hospital, New Zealand over a 12-month period. The sera of 30 of 153 (19.6%) patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), 16 of 98 (18.4%) with chest pain, and 7 of 46 (15.2%) patients with arrhythmia were positive for Coxsackie B virus-specific IgM. Four of 12 (25%) patients with heart failure were also positive. Over the same period, 178 sex- and age-matched normal blood donors were also studied. Eleven of 178 (6.2%) matched blood donors were positive for Coxsackie B virus-specific IgM. The rates of occurrence of Coxsackie B virus-specific IgM in patients with AMI and in a group of matched controls showed a significant difference (chi 2 = 5.64, p = 0.02).