Comparative trial of six methods for the detection of CMV antibody in blood donors.

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Six techniques were compared to find the most suitable method for determining the cytomegalovirus (CMV) antibody status of blood donors. Random sera (596) were tested by immunofluorescence (IF), complement fixation (CFT), 2 enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), a commercial indirect hemagglutination test (IHA) used as supplied, and a locally devised micromodification of the same IHA test. Sera (535) shared total agreement of results by all tests. The ELISA tests were the most discordant with other methods (10.5% discordancies both positive and negative). IF and CFT correlated well with other tests (0.8% discordances each) but for different reasons are unsatisfactory for donor screening. The IHA test used as supplied and its micromodification gave the most consistent results (0.8% and 0.5% discordancies, respectively). The micromodification is easy to perform and read; it compares very favorably with CFT and IF for material costs and expertise required, and readily lends itself to the testing of large numbers of sera in a reasonable time. Within certain provisos the micro-IHA technique described is recommended as the most suitable test for blood donor screening.