Use of a Blockade-of-Binding ELISA and Microneutralization Assay to Evaluate Zika Virus Serostatus in Dengue-Endemic Areas

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2019 Sep;101(3):708-715. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.19-0270.

Abstract

Zika virus (ZIKV) serological diagnostics are compromised in areas where dengue viruses (DENV) co-circulate because of their high levels of protein sequence homology. Here, we describe the characterization of a Zika blockade-of-binding ELISA (Zika BOB) and a Zika microneutralization assay (Zika MN) for the detection of ZIKV nonstructural protein 1 (NS1)-specific antibodies and ZIKV neutralizing antibodies, respectively. Zika BOB and Zika MN cutoffs were established as 10 and 100 endpoint titers, respectively, using samples collected pre- and post-virologically confirmed ZIKV infection from subjects living in DENV-endemic areas. Specificity of the assays was equally high, whereas sensitivity of Zika BOB was lower than that of Zika MN, especially in samples collected > 6 months post-infection. Immunosurveillance analysis, using combined results from both Zika BOB and Zika MN, carried out also in DENV-endemic regions in Colombia, Honduras, Mexico, and Puerto Rico before (2013-2014) and after (2017-2018) ZIKV introduction in the Americas suggests unapparent ZIKV seroprevalence rates ranged from 25% to 80% over the specified period of time in the regions investigated.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Viral / blood*
  • Binding Sites, Antibody
  • Colombia
  • Cross Reactions
  • Dengue / epidemiology*
  • Dengue Virus / immunology
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / methods*
  • Honduras
  • Humans
  • Mexico
  • Neutralization Tests / methods*
  • Puerto Rico
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Seroepidemiologic Studies
  • Viral Nonstructural Proteins / immunology
  • Zika Virus / immunology*
  • Zika Virus Infection / diagnosis
  • Zika Virus Infection / epidemiology*
  • Zika Virus Infection / immunology

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • NS1 protein, zika virus
  • Viral Nonstructural Proteins