Use of Envelope Domain III Protein for the Detection of IgG Type Antibodies Specific to Zika Virus by Indirect ELISA

Zika virus (ZIKV) diagnostics are crucial for proper antenatal and postnatal care and also for surveillance and serosurvey studies. Since the viremia during ZIKV infection is fleeting, serological testing is highly valuable to inform diagnosis. However, current serology tests using whole virus antigens frequently suffer from cross reactivity issues, delays, and technical complexity, especially in low and middle income countries (LMICs) and endemic countries. Here, we describe an indirect ELISA to detect specific IgG antibodies using the ZIKV envelope domain III (EDIII) protein expressed in Drosophila S2 cells as an immunogen. Using a total of 367 clinical samples, we showed that the EDIII-ELISA was able to detect IgG antibodies against ZIKV with high sensitivity of 100.0% and specificity of 94.7% when compared to plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNTs) as the gold standard and using 0.208 as the cut-off OD value. These results show the usefulness of the recombinant envelope domain III as an alternative to standard whole virus proteins for ZIKV diagnostics as it improves the sensitivity and specificity of IgG ELISA assay when used as an immunogen. This method should, therefore, be extended to serological diagnostic techniques for other members of the flavivirus genus and for use in IgM diagnostic testing.

Automated summary

This study describes an indirect ELISA for detecting specific IgG antibodies against ZIKV using the EDIII protein expressed in Drosophila S2 cells as an immunogen. The EDIII-ELISA showed a high sensitivity of 100.0% and specificity of 94.7% when compared to PRNTs, with 0.208 as the cut-off OD value. The recombinant EDIII can improve the sensitivity and specificity of IgG ELISA assay for ZIKV diagnostics.