Performance of the Euroline Western blot assay in the detection of herpes simplex virus type 2 antibody in Uganda, China and the USA
Year: 2011
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) infection is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) worldwide. While glycoprotein G-2 enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays are commonly used for the serological detection of HSV-2 antibodies, they have low specificity in developing countries. The Euroline Western blot (WB) is a commercially available assay that is easy to perform; however, little is known about its performance characteristics. This study evaluated Euroline WB for the detection of HSV-2 antibodies compared with University of Washington Western blot in three geographically different regions: Baltimore, MD, USA; Rakai, Uganda; and Kunming, China. Among the 135 American men attending a STI clinic in Baltimore, MD, 72% (n = 97) were HSV-2-positive by Euroline WB, showing a sensitivity of 97.8% and a specificity of 81.8%. Among the 273 commercial sex workers in Kunming, 62.3% were HSV-2-positive by Euroline WB (sensitivity 96.9%, specificity 89.1%). Among the 437 Ugandans in Rakai, 67.3% were HSV-2-positive by Euroline WB (sensitivity 98.7%, specificity 65.4%). The Euroline WB has a consistently high sensitivity, but specificity varied significantly among the different locations.
Language: English
Subfield: Epidemiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, University of Washington, National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Office of AIDS Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
OpenAlex ID: W2060197785