Human Coronavirus OC43 Serum Inhibitor and Neutralizing Antibody by a New Plaque-Reduction Assay

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Abstract
A plaque-reduction assay for the determination of neutralizing antibody to human coronavirus OC43 was set up using, as a plaquing factor, fetal calf serum containing an OC43 inhibitor. A similar inhibitor was found in human sera negative and positive for OC43 antibody. The inhibitor can be removed by treatment of sera with phospholipase C and is probably a lipoprotein of the high-density class. The new plaque-reduction assay may be a very sensitive test for OC43 antibody determination and serodiagnosis of OC43 infections. It may be very useful for studies of antigenic relationships between human and animal coronaviruses. Sera must be routinely treated for removal of viral inhibitor before testing.