Light Diagnostics type specific monoclonal antibody for Coxsackievirus A9 is intended for use in indirect fluorescence screening for the presumptive identification of Coxsackievirus A9 obtained in cell culture and not intended for testing directly on human specimens.
Test Principle
Light Diagnostics Coxsackievirus A9 Monoclonal Antibody (MAb Cox A9) can be used to identify a Coxsackie A9 viral isolate in cell culture using an indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA). The monoclonal antibody provided will bind to the type specific Coxsackie A9 isolate present on the cell culture slide. Unbound monoclonal antibody is removed by rinsing with phosphate buffered saline (PBS). A secondary FITC (fluorescein isothiocyanate) labeled antibody is then added which will bind to the antigen-antibody complex. Unbound secondary antibody is removed by rinsing with PBS. FITC exhibits an apple green fluorescence when illuminated by ultraviolet light allowing visualization of the complex by microscopy. A positive result is indicated by specific cell fluorescence. Non-infected cells stain a dull red if Evans Blue counterstain is used in the FITC-labeled secondary antibody or used elsewhere in the procedure.
Background and Clinical Significance:
Enteroviruses are classified to be in the picornavirus family, pico [small] + RNA [ribonucleic acid] + virus. Picornaviruses are among the smallest and simplest ribonucleic acid containing viruses known [1]. The RNA for many enteroviruses have now been cloned and complete genomic sequences have been obtained. The RNA from all the sequenced enteroviruses are similar in length, about 7400 nucleotides, and have identical organization [1].
The human alimentary tract is the predominant site of enterovirus replication and the viruses were first isolated from enteric specimens. These viruses are the causes of paralytic poliomyelitis, aseptic meningitis-encephalitis, myocarditis, pleurodynia, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, conjunctivitis, and numerous other syndromes associated with extra-intestinal target organs. There are 67 numbered types of enteroviruses in the enteroviruses family [1]: Polioviruses (3), Coxsackieviruses A (23), Coxsackieviruses B (6), Echoviruses (31), and other Enteroviruses (4)
Enteroviruses, including Echoviruses and Coxsackieviruses, have been reported as the major etiologic agents of aseptic meningitis [2]. Clinical syndromes associated with infections by each type of enterovirus have also been reported [3]. Coxsackievirus A9 can cause aseptic meningitis, paralysis, exanthema, pneumonitis of infants, and hepatitis.
Establishing an association between an enterovirus and a particular disease in a patient requires laboratory confirmation of infection, usually by either isolation of the virus, or documentation of a specific serologic response in a properly timed specimen. Detailed descriptions of principals and procedures for diagnosis of enterovirus infections have been published [4-7]. Cell culture techniques have made the accurate detection of enteroviruses possible [8-10]. The identification of the enterovirus isolates will help prevention, treatment and understanding of the infectious diseases, and even discovery of new virus isolates. The typing of enterovirus isolates is generally accomplished by neutralization with type specific pools of immune sera [11]. This method is time consuming (7 days or more) and expensive. As an alternative, typing of enteroviruses with type specific monoclonal antibody and/or group specific monoclonal antibody pool(s) by the Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA) is potentially more rapid and less expensive [12-18].