Use of Envelope Domain III Protein for the Detection of IgG Type Antibodies Specific to Zika Virus by Indirect ELISA
Oumar Ndiaye,
Cheikh Tidiane Diagne,
Ahmed Abd El Wahed,
Fatou Dia,
Moussa Dia,
Adama Faye,
Silvania Da Veiga Leal,
Menilita dos Santos,
Maria da Luz de Lima Mendonça,
Carolina Cardoso da Silva Leite,
Cheikh Saad Bouh Boye,
Juliet E. Bryant,
Philippe Desprès,
Ousmane Faye,
Amadou Alpha Sall,
Oumar Faye
Affiliations
Oumar Ndiaye
Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar BP 220, Senegal
Cheikh Tidiane Diagne
Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar BP 220, Senegal
Ahmed Abd El Wahed
Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
Fatou Dia
Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar BP 220, Senegal
Moussa Dia
Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar BP 220, Senegal
Adama Faye
Institut de Santé et Développement (ISED), Université Cheikh Anta DIOP de Dakar, Dakar BP 16390, Senegal
Silvania Da Veiga Leal
National Institute of Public Health, Largo do Desastre da Assistência, Chã de Areia, Praia P.O. Box 719, Cape Verde
Menilita dos Santos
National Institute of Public Health, Largo do Desastre da Assistência, Chã de Areia, Praia P.O. Box 719, Cape Verde
Maria da Luz de Lima Mendonça
National Institute of Public Health, Largo do Desastre da Assistência, Chã de Areia, Praia P.O. Box 719, Cape Verde
Carolina Cardoso da Silva Leite
World Health Organization, Country Office—AFRO Prédio Comum das Nações Unidas Meio Achada S. António 1° Andar, Praia P.O. Box 266, Cape Verde
Cheikh Saad Bouh Boye
Centre de Reference IST/VIH, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Aristide Le Dantec, Dakar BP 3001, Senegal
Juliet E. Bryant
The Global Fund Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Chemin du Pommier 40, 1218 Le Brand-Sacconex, Switzerland
Philippe Desprès
Processus Infectieux en Milieu Insulaire Tropical (PIMIT), Université de La Réunion, INSERM UMR 1187, CNRS 9192, IRD 249, Plateforme CYROI, 97490 Sainte-Clotilde, France
Ousmane Faye
Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar BP 220, Senegal
Amadou Alpha Sall
Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar BP 220, Senegal
Oumar Faye
Virology Department, Institut Pasteur de Dakar, Dakar BP 220, Senegal
Zika virus (ZIKV) diagnostics are crucial for proper antenatal and postnatal care and also for surveillance and serosurvey studies. Since the viremia during ZIKV infection is fleeting, serological testing is highly valuable to inform diagnosis. However, current serology tests using whole virus antigens frequently suffer from cross reactivity issues, delays, and technical complexity, especially in low and middle income countries (LMICs) and endemic countries. Here, we describe an indirect ELISA to detect specific IgG antibodies using the ZIKV envelope domain III (EDIII) protein expressed in Drosophila S2 cells as an immunogen. Using a total of 367 clinical samples, we showed that the EDIII-ELISA was able to detect IgG antibodies against ZIKV with high sensitivity of 100.0% and specificity of 94.7% when compared to plaque reduction neutralization tests (PRNTs) as the gold standard and using 0.208 as the cut-off OD value. These results show the usefulness of the recombinant envelope domain III as an alternative to standard whole virus proteins for ZIKV diagnostics as it improves the sensitivity and specificity of IgG ELISA assay when used as an immunogen. This method should, therefore, be extended to serological diagnostic techniques for other members of the flavivirus genus and for use in IgM diagnostic testing.
