COMPARISON OF 2 RAPID ENZYME IMMUNOASSAYS WITH STANDARD ENZYME-IMMUNOASSAY AND LATEX AGGLUTINATION FOR THE DETECTION OF HUMAN ROTAVIRUS IN STOOLS

We evaluated the performance of six commercially available immunoassay s for their ability to detect rotaviruses in stool specimens. Four of the assays were enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), including two rapid enzyme immunoassays (Testpack, Abbott Laboratories, Chicago and Pinpoint, Cambridge Biomedical, UK), and the remaining two were la tex agglutination tests. A total of 100 specimens from children with g astroenteritis were tested with the commercial immunoassays and compar ed with electron microscopy (EM) and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresi s (PAGE) as reference tests for the detection of rotavirus. Discordant results were further evaluated by a standard blocking ELISA. The rapi d EIAs were found to be highly sensitive (100% for the Testpack and 97 % for the Pinpoint) and more sensitive than the other immunoassays tes ted. High specificity was also recorded with both rapid EIAs (96% and 100% for Testpack and Pinpoint, respectively). The rapid EIA tests wer e easy to perform, required no specialized equipment, and could yield a result in less than 15 min. The results show that each of the commer cial assays evaluated could accurately detect rotavirus in the stools of children with gastroenteritis, although the suitability of choice o f assay will ultimately depend upon the requirements of the individual laboratory.