ENZYME-LINKED-IMMUNOSORBENT-ASSAY FOR DETECTION OF FELINE HERPESVIRUS-1 IGG IN SERUM, AQUEOUS-HUMOR, AND CEREBROSPINAL-FLUID

Feline herpesvirus 1 (FHV) is an important cause of feline ocular and respiratory disease, but the role the virus plays in central nervous s ystem disease of cats has not been explored. The study described here was performed to validate an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assa y (ELISA) to detect FHV-specific IgG antibodies for use in feline epid emiologic, ocular, and central nervous system disease studies. The ind irect IgG ELISA was applied to serum, aqueous humor, and cerebrospinal fluid from cats. Serum FHV IgG ELISA results were compared with those of serum neutralization in client-owned cats and laboratory-housed ca ts following vaccination. Of the 100 client-owned cats tested by ELISA , 97 had detectable FHV IgG; 95 had titers >32. The FHV IgG ELISA was more sensitive than serum neutralization and could be used with aqueou s humor and cerebrospinal fluid. Cats with inflammatory central nervou s system or ocular diseases had significant leakage of serum proteins into aqueous humor and cerebrospinal fluid, necessitating use of cutof f values derived from serum when these fluids were assessed.