Comparison of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, electron microscopy, and reversed passive haemagglutination for detection of human rotavirus in stool specimens

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using microplates as solid phase, rabbit antiserum against human rotavirus Wa strain as catching antibody, and the same reagent labeled with beta-D-galactosidase as conjugate, has been developed for detection of human rotavirus antigen(s) in stool specimens from patients with acute gastroenteritis. The limit of detection of purified human rotavirus by ELISA was 15.6 ng/ml (1.56 ng/well) of viral protein. The sensitivities of ELISA, electron microscopy, and the reversed passive haemagglutination method (ROTA-CELL) were compared. ELISA was more sensitive than electron microscopy and the reversed passive haemagglutination method. The ELISA blocking assay was useful for detection of an antibody response to human rotavirus in paired sera from children in two institutions during outbreaks of rotavirus gastroenteritis.