[Experiences with the ELISA at the serodiagnosis of infections with viruses of the herpes-group (author's transl)].

A commercially available and standardized enzymeimmunoassay was applied at 737 patients in order to diagnose immunologically a recent or reactivated infection with Herpes simplex, Herpes zoster V. and/or Cytomegalovirus. During this course of investigation rises or falls of the titer of virus specific IgG between the range of 1 : 320, 1 : 1280 and greater than or equal to 1 : 5120 turned out to mark mainly recent infections with one of the three herpes viruses. Statistical evaluations of the tests performed proved the elevated sensitivity of the IgG-ELISA as compared with the complement binding reaction. The range of specificity of the two tests was similar. A significant titer of IgM (greater than or equal to 1 : 40) as a marker of a recent infection with one of the three herpes viruses could only be demonstrated at 13-19% of the cases of recent herpes viral infection. Controls of the sera with a significant virus specific IgM-titer in the ELISA by sucrose gradient centrifugation or with a reference-ELISA confirmed their virus specific mu-specificity in almost all of the cases (96%).