ENZYME-IMMUNOASSAY SYSTEM FOR DETECTING A NTIBODIES TO HUMAN RETROVIRUSES (HTLV-I AND HIV-1) BASING ON SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES

The study was made to develop an immunodiagnostic test system based on synthetic peptides able to detect in the same assay the total concent ration of heterospecific antibodies against human retroviruses HTLV-1 and HIV-1. Three panels of reference-sera contained antibodies to HTLV -1 (70 specimens), HIV-1 (50 and 16 specimens) and 4 synthetic peptide s corresponding to protein fragments p19 gag and gp46 env HTLV-1, gp12 0 and gp41 env HIV-1. Immune reactivity of the peptides with reference sera was measured in the immunoassay. It is established that relevant peptides mimic immunodominant B-epitopes of structural proteins HTLV- 1 and HIV-1 and are recognized specifically by relevant antiviral anti bodies. The enzyme immunoassay test system has been designed using a p eptide combination in a single antigen complex. The system showed high diagnostic sensitivity.