PLoS ONE (Jan 2013)

Validation of a commercially available indirect ELISA using a nucleocapside recombinant protein for detection of Schmallenberg virus antibodies.

  • Emmanuel Bréard,
  • Estelle Lara,
  • Loïc Comtet,
  • Cyril Viarouge,
  • Virginie Doceul,
  • Alexandra Desprat,
  • Damien Vitour,
  • Nathalie Pozzi,
  • Ann Brigitte Cay,
  • Nick De Regge,
  • Philippe Pourquier,
  • Horst Schirrmeier,
  • Bernd Hoffmann,
  • Martin Beer,
  • Corinne Sailleau,
  • Stéphan Zientara

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0053446
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 1
p. e53446

Abstract

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A newly developed Enzym Like Immuno Sorbant Assay (ELISA) based on the recombinant nucleocapsid protein (N) of Schmallenberg virus (SBV) was evaluated and validated for the detection of SBV-specific IgG antibodies in ruminant sera by three European Reference Laboratories. Validation data sets derived from sheep, goat and bovine sera collected in France and Germany (n = 1515) in 2011 and 2012 were categorized according to the results of a virus neutralization test (VNT) or an indirect immuno-fluorescence assay (IFA). The specificity was evaluated with 1364 sera from sheep, goat and bovine collected in France and Belgium before 2009. Overall agreement between VNT and ELISA was 98.9% and 98.3% between VNT and IFA, indicating a very good concordance between the different techniques. Although cross-reactions with other Orthobunyavirus from the Simbu serogroup viruses might occur, it is a highly sensitive, specific and robust ELISA-test validated to detect anti-SBV antibodies. This test can be applied for SBV sero-diagnostics and disease-surveillance studies in ruminant species in Europe.