Development of a varicella-zoster virus bead-based immunoassay for serosurveys

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Presentation Time: 03:15 PM - 04:30 PM
Poster Board Number: B892
Abstract ID: 4930

Presenting Author:
Nicole Escudero , ORISE Research Fellow at CDC

Abstract:

Routine immunization programs, such as those for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV), were disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Cross-sectional surveys of population immunity can help identify gaps in vaccine induced immunity to understand the extent of this disruption. IgG antibodies against MMRV are usually detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). While sensitive and specific, ELISAs lack the capability to simultaneously detect antibodies to multiple antigens, requiring increased serum volume and raising labor costs to conduct separate tests. The multiplex bead-based immunoassay (MBA) can concurrently measure antibody levels against multiple antigens, allowing a time-saving advantage while using minimal serum volume. Here, we evaluate the performance of an MBA to detect IgG to varicella zoster virus (VZV) in serum samples (n=80) from healthy young adults or unvaccinated infants in the United States. Serum samples were previously tested by a VZV glycoprotein (gp) ELISA. A receiver operating characteristic analysis resulted in a cutoff for the VZV MBA of 56 mIU/mL. The VZV MBA had accuracy, diagnostic sensitivity, and diagnostic specificity of 100% compared to the VZV gp ELISA. The reproducibility (%CV) was ≤25 % (n=80). The performance of the VZV MBA was not affected by the simultaneous detection of IgG for MMR. The VZV MBA represents a high-throughput alternative that could be used for serosurveillance and vaccine studies to verify VZV immunity.