This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Other Versions of this Article: CVI.00120-07v1 14/12/1545    most recent Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Summerton, J. Articles by Quinn, T. C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Summerton, J. Articles by Quinn, T. C.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, December 2007, p. 1545-1549, Vol. 14, No. 12
1071-412X/07/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/CVI.00120-07
Copyright © 2007, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Effect of Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Coinfections on Performance of Three Commercially Available Immunosorbent Assays Used for Detection of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2-Specific Antibody in Men Attending Baltimore, Maryland, STD Clinics

The Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Baltimore, Maryland,¹ National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland,² Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland,³ Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington⁴

Received 12 March 2007/ Returned for modification 20 June 2007/ Accepted 27 September 2007

Two hundred seventy-nine serum samples from men attending sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinics in Baltimore, Maryland, were tested for herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2)-specific antibody by three immunosorbent glycoprotein G-2-based assays (the Kalon, Focus, and Biokit assays). The results for all samples with positive results were confirmed by Western blotting (91/279; 32.6% HSV-2 seroprevalence). All patients were also tested for Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Trichomonas vaginalis, Mycoplasma genitalium, human immunodeficiency virus type 1, and hepatitis C virus. The Kalon assay performed very well with samples from this population (90.8% sensitive, 99.4% specific), whereas the Focus assay had a sensitivity (82.6%) much lower than that shown previously. For 19.7% of the samples, the Biokit assay gave an indeterminate result. It was found that the odds of a sample having a Biokit assay indeterminate result compared to that of having a definitive positive or negative results were 3.88 times greater for subjects concurrently infected with N. gonorrhoeae, after the effects of other STDs were controlled for (P = 0.001; 95% confidence interval, 1.78, 8.45). Unfortunately, we were unable to control for HSV-1 infection status in the regression model, which, on the basis of ² analysis, might also affect the clarity of the Biokit test. The recommended index cutoff value of 1.1 for the Focus and Kalon assays was found to be optimal for this population.

Published ahead of print on 3 October 2007.