Antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the diagnosis of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever using a novel monoclonal antibody

An antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed for the diagnosis of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) using a novel monoclonal antibody, 1B7, to the recombinant nucleoprotein (rNP) of CCHF virus (CCHFV) Chinese strain 8402. This ELISA detected at least 2 ng/100 mu l of CCHFV rNP of 8402 and of the Nigeria strain Ibr 10200, and also detected authentic nucleoproteins (NP) of Chinese strains. Although the sensitivity of the ELISA was lower than that of nested reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), it was able to detect nucleoproteins in acute sera of CCHF patients. The presence of anti-CCHFV IgG decreased the sensitivity of the ELISA, possibly due to competition with 1B7, and this would tend to limit application of the ELISA. However, the method may be useful for the diagnosis of CCHF patients in the acute stage of illness, especially in laboratories not equipped with RT-PCR testing capabilities. (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.