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pubmed:abstractText |
Two monoclonal antibodies against two distinct conserved epitopes of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) nucleocapsid protein were used in a direct time-resolved fluoroimmunoassay (TR-FIA) for the detection of RSV antigens in nasopharyngeal aspirates. The capture antibody was adsorbed to the solid phase of microdilution strip wells, and the indicator antibody was labeled with a europium chelate. Specimens and label were incubated simultaneously for 1 h at 37 degrees C in the coated wells. After the test samples were washed, fluorescence enhancement solution was added, strips were shaken, and the time-resolved fluorescence was measured. The test procedure took only 75 min, and the total time for 20 specimens, with pretreatment by sonication, was 2 to 3 h. We prospectively evaluated the detection of RSV in nasopharyngeal aspirates of pediatric patients by TR-FIA and by virus isolation in human diploid fibroblasts. TR-FIA detected 40 of 42 isolation-positive specimens. Nine additional isolation-negative specimens were positive by TR-FIA; all proved to be true positives by a blocking-type confirmatory assay. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value for TR-FIA were 95, 96, 82, and 99%, respectively, of the values obtained by virus isolation and 96, 100, 100, and 99%, respectively, of the values obtained by virus isolation and the confirmatory assay.
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