Counterimmunoelectrophoresis test for immunoglobulin M antibodies to group B coxsackievirus

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Abstract
A counterimmunoelectrophoresis test was developed for immunoglobulin (Ig) M antibodies [Ab] to group B coxsackievirus (CB) types 1 through 5. The IgM precipitin line could be identified and differentiated from the IgG line by treating sera with 2-mercaptoethanol. Antigen purity was demonstrated by single precipitin lines occurring only to the homologous antigen when tested with type-specific hyperimmune rabbit sera. Serum pairs from 19 of 22 patients with documented CB type 1, 3, 4 and 5 infections were positive for IgM Ab to the infecting serotype, whereas 2 of 7 pairs from CB type 2 patients were positive. Heterologous IgM Ab were present in sera from 14 of 29 CB patients. Of the 14 patients with heterologous IgM Ab, 12 had .gtoreq. 4-fold rises in whole serum neutralizing Ab to heterologous serotypes. Only 3 control sera from 72 patients with coxsackievirus group A, echovirus or other viral infections had IgM Ab to CB serotypes.