APPLICATION OF A TRANSFORMED-CELL LINE CONSTITUTIVELY EXPRESSING HSV-1 POLYPEPTIDES FOR THE DETECTION OF HSV ANTIBODIES IN HUMAN SERA BY ANENZYME-IMMUNOASSAY

We have previously reported the construction of a cell line BA4, const itutively producing the glycoproteins go, gG, and alpha 4, the major r egulatory protein of HSV-1. These cells have been selected in stepwise increasing concentrations of methotrexate and shown to produce much h igher amounts of go than non-selected cells. Extracts of the selected cells were used in an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay to detect HSV antibodies in human sera obtained from Greek blood donors. We report h ere that (i) the assay developed is able to distinguish HSV antibody p ositive from negative human sera and (ii) that its application in an e pidemiological survey showed that the incidence of HSV infection in th e general population in Greece is 90.4%.