An IgM Antibody Capture-Lattex Particles Adsorption Test for Detection of IgM Antibody to Rubella Virus

Abstract

Test for IgM specific antibody to rubella is useful for diagnosis of rubella infection. Screening of pregnant woman for rubella IgM is used for prevention of congenital rubella infection in newborns. Although enzyme-liked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is the widely accepted method, its high cost might be the obstacle for users in developing area. For this reason, we introduced a simple and inexpensive IgM antibody capture-latex particles adsorption test (MAC-LA) for detection of IgM antibody to rubella virus. The test correlated well with the commercial IgM-ELISA test kit (Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient = 0.87, p < 0.001). All 44 positive sera by IgM EIA were also positive by the MAC-LA method. Sera from acute apparent rubella showed rising rubella IgM which was detected as early as 2-3 days after onset of rash as determined by both methods. The MAC-LA also yielded high specificity when it showed negative results in all 134 sera from pregnant women and 20 rheumatoid factor positive sera, which were negative by the IgM-ELISA. With its simplified technique and reasonable cost, this sensitive and specific test is suitable for large scale screening of rubella IgM antibody.