47 research outputs found
INFERTILITY IN DAIRY HEIFERS WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO A HIGH INCIDENCE OF DEVELOPMENTAL DEFECTS OF THE PARAMESONEPHRIC DUCT SYSTEM
CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW AND EXCHANGE OF OXYGEN, GLUCOSE KETONE BODIES, LACTATE, PYRUVATE AND AMINO ACIDS IN ANESTHETIZED CHILDREN
On understanding the implication of pension debt on fiscal policy in Tanzania: Is there any room for improving the adequacy of pension benefits?
Is the Reform of the Spanish Public Pension System of 2011 Justified from an Actuarial Point of View?
Histological and Histochemical Characterization of the Bovine Rete Ovarii through the Estrous Cycle and Gestation
New Immunochromatographic Rapid Test for Diagnosis of Acute Puumala Virus Infection
A new immunochromatographic rapid test, POC PUUMALA (Erilab Ltd., Kuopio, Finland), for detection of acute-phase Puumala virus (PUUV) infection was developed based on a highly purified baculovirus-expressed PUUV nucleocapsid protein antigen and lateral immunodiffusion techniques. After addition of sample (5 μl of serum, plasma, or fingertip blood) and buffer, PUUV-specific immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies, if present, together with the gold-conjugated anti-human IgM, formed a specific colored line in 5 min. The sensitivity and specificity of the test were evaluated with 200 serum samples and 30 fingertip blood samples. The reference method for the serum samples was a μ-capture enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for IgM and an immunofluorescence assay (IFA) for IgG antibodies. The analytical sensitivity and specificity of the rapid test were 100 and 99%, respectively, for unfrozen serum samples (n = 103; 12 PUUV IgM-positive samples). When freeze-thawed serum samples were used, the sensitivity and specificity were each 97.1% (n = 70; 35 PUUV IgM-positive samples). The specificity of the test was 96.2% for 27 serum samples with nonspecific IgM antibodies or rheumatoid factor (RF). The fingertip blood samples (n = 30) were negative, but they gave clear positive results when spiked with IgM-positive sera (n = 20). The results were in good agreement with the standard diagnostic methods. The rapid performance, the lack of need for refined laboratory equipment, and the high specificity with fresh serum and fingertip blood samples indicate that the developed POC PUUMALA rapid test is a useful tool for fast diagnosis of acute PUUV infection