Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the identification of arthropod-borne togavirus antibodies.

The applicability of the standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the identification of togavirus infections was investigated. Optimal concentration of gradient-purified antigen was 2.5 micrograms/well for alphaviruses or flaviviruses when coating polystyrene microtitre plates. A procedure for producing antigen in suckling mouse brain was developed. Results obtained with ELISA could be correlated with standard serology, but in general the ELISA was more sensitive. The ELISA was specific in differentiating alphavirus antigens. Flavivirus cross-reactivity was magnified by ELISA. ELISA should be useful as a rapid screening assay for non-related antigens, avoiding the extensive techniques currently used in standard serodiagnosis.