Highly pathogenic influenza A viruses (IAVs) cause substantial damage to the poultry industry. A simple and quick testing method is required for strict control of this infectious agent. The fluorescence polarization immunoassay (FPIA) is a rapid test based on antigen-antibody binding, which can detect antigen-specific antibody in the infected animal samples within a few minutes. FPIA is a one-step reaction assay that does not require a secondary antibody and complicated steps. We evaluated the usefulness of FPIA for the detection of anti-IAV antibodies, including those against internal proteins and H5 subtype HA, in sera. In the FPIA using fluorescent peptides of internal NP and M1 proteins, millipolarization units (MPUs), which increase depending on the amount of antibody, were higher in antibody-positive sera than in antibody-negative sera. Moreover, in FPIA using fluorescent recombinant H5 subtype HA proteins, anti-H5 serum gave the highest MPUs among the antisera raised in goats against individual H1-H15 subtype IAVs. Our results support the utility of FPIA for the detection of anti-IAV antibodies, especially the anti-H5 antibody.
Keywords: fluorescence polarization immunoassay; influenza A virus; rapid testing method.