Diagnosis of Measles with an IgM Capture EIA: The Optimal Timing of Specimen Collection after Rash Onset

Abstract

The optimal timing for collection of a single serum specimen to diagnose measles by using a monoclonal antibody-capture EIA was evaluated. Results of testing paired serum samples from 166 measles cases with at least 1 IgM-positive specimen were analyzed. Among persons whose second samples were IgM-positive, the seropositivity rate for first samples was 77% when collected within 72 h and 100% when collected 4-11 days after rash onset. Among unvaccinated persons whose first samples were IgM-positive, the rate for IgM positivity of second specimens declined from 100% at 4 days to 94% at 4 weeks after rash onset, then declined further to 63% at 5 weeks. Some previously vaccinated persons became IgM-negative during the third week after rash onset. In general, a single serum specimen collected between 72 h and 4 weeks after rash onset can be used to diagnose most cases of measles with an IgM capture EIA.

Measles serodiagnosis: production and evaluation of the IgM-measles ELISA IAL reagent

“…This finding was also consistent with previous data, which varied from 72% to 89% by IgM IEA, for a similar period of time. We observed that the sensitivity of an assay depends on the phase of measles infection, nevertheless, the positivity reaches 100% from 4 or 5 days to 30 days after rash onset, confirming reported data (4,5,23,24).…”

Assessment of Immunoglobulin M Enzyme Immunoassays for Diagnosis of Measles

“…1). For the Meddens and Denka Seiken EIAs, sensitivity increased when the sample was collected Ͼ3 days after rash onset, as has been shown for the development of the IgM response to measles virus for both vaccinated and naturally infected individuals (7,9,13). However, the sensitivity of the Behring assay was essentially the same for samples collected before and after 3 days post-rash onset.…”

Evaluation of Diagnostic Markers for Measles Virus Infection in the Context of an Outbreak in Spain

“…On the other hand, viral isolation allows us to obtain the strain for epidemiological studies. However, the sensitivity of the isolation method is low and very dependent on the time of sample collection and transport conditions; the optimal time for virus culture sampling is very early after the onset of symptoms, when specific IgM is not detected (11,14). Some reports show that genomic detection techniques, namely, PCR, notably improve the performance of the culture method (8) and should consequently be included in measles surveillance protocols.…”