CHIKUNGUNYA VIRUS IgM CAPTURE ELISA

This Chikungunya virus IgM capture ELISA kit has been designed for the detection and the quantitative determination of specific IgM antibodies against Chikungunya virus in human serum or plasma.

This ELISA is based on the mu-capture principle. Microplates are coated with anti-human IgM to capture IgM antibodies within the sample. After washing the wells to remove all unbound sample material, horseradish peroxidase labelled Chikungunya virus antigen conjugate is added. This conjugate binds to the captured Chikungunya virus-specific antibodies. The immune complex formed by the bound conjugate is visualized with Tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) substrate which gives a blue reaction product. The intensity of this product is proportional to the amount of specific antibodies in the sample. Sulphuric acid is added to stop the reaction. This produces a yellow endpoint colour. Absorbance at 450/620 nm is read using an ELISA microwell plate reader.

PRODUCT DETAILS – CHIKUNGUNYA VIRUS IgM CAPTURE ELISA

• Chikungunya Virus IgM µ-capture ELISA.
• High sensitivity – 100%.
• High specificity – 100%.
• Short assay time – <3 hours.
• 1 x 96 tests.

BACKGROUND

Chikungunya virus is an arthropod borne virus of the genus Alphavirus (family Togaviridae). The Alphavirus genus contains at least 24 distinct species. These are lipid-enveloped virions with a diameter of 50 to 60 nm. Alphavirus infections are initiated by the bite of an infected mosquito, which results in the deposition of virus in subcutaneous and possibly cutaneous tissues. After an incubation period of 1 to 12 days the Chikungunya fever develops. Chikungunya fever (Chikungunya means “that which bends up”, in reference to the crippling manifestations of the disease) is an acute viral infection characterized by a rapid transition from a state of good health to illness that includes severe arthralgia and fever.

Temperature rises abruptly to as high as 40 °C and is often accompanied by shaking chills. After a few days, fever may abate and recrudesce, giving rise to a “saddleback” fever curve. Arthralgia is polyarticular, favoring the small joints and sites of previous injuries, and is most intense on arising. Patients typically avoid movement as much as possible. Joints may swell without significant fluid accumulations. These symptoms may last from 1 week to several months and are accompanied by myalgia. The rash characteristically appears on the first day of illness, but onset may be delayed. It usually arises as a flush over the face and neck, which evolves to a maculopapular or macular form that may be pruritic. The latter lesions appear on the trunk, limbs, face, palms and soles, in that order of frequency. Petechial skin lesions have also been noted. Headache, photophobia, retro-orbitral pain, sore throat with objective signs of pharyngitis, nausea and vomiting also occur in this setting. Occasionally, however persistent arthralgia and polyarthritis (lasting months or even years) do occur, sometimes involving joint destruction. Even rarer, sequelae include encephalitis and meningoencephalitis with high lethality rates.

The virus has major importance in Africa and Asia. From 20% to more than 90% of the population of tropical and subtropical show serologic evidence of infection. Because Aedes mosquitoes are increasingly prevalent in North Africa and South America, where the population would be uniformly susceptible to infection, the possibility for epidemics is evident. Chikungunya virus infections are imported to central Europe mainly by travelers to tropical and subtropical countries.

REFERENCES

• Bienz, Kurt A. (2005): Viruses as Human Pathogen. In Fritz H. Kayser, Kurt A. Bienz, Johannes Eckert, Rolf M. Zinkernagel: Medical microbiology. Stuttgart, New York: Thieme (Thieme Flexibook), pp. 412–474.
• Hochedez, Patrick; Jaureguiberry, Stephane; Debruyne, Monique; Bossi, Philippe; Hausfater, Pierre; Brucker, Gilles et al. (2006): Chikungunya infection in travelers. In Emerging infectious diseases 12 (10), pp. 1565–1567. DOI: 10.3201/eid1210.060495.
• Markoff, Lewis (2005): Chapter 147: Alphaviruses. In Gerald L. Mandell, Robert Gordon Douglas, John Eugene Bennett (Eds.): Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett’s principles and practice of infectious diseases, vol. 2. 6. ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier, pp. 1913–1920.
• Weaver, Scott C.; Tesh, Robert B.; Shope, Robert E. (2006): Alphavirus Infections. In Richard L. Guerrant, David H. Walker, Peter F. Weller (Eds.): Tropical infectious diseases. Principles, pathogens & practice. 2nd ed. Philadelphia: Churchill Livingstone, pp. 831–838.

THIS ELISA ASSAY IS FOR RESEARCH USE ONLY. IT IS NOT FOR USE IN DIAGNOSTIC PROCEDURES.