Detection of Antibodies Directed Towards Yellow Fever Virus by PRNT
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Reference Details
Serological detection of neutralizing antibodies directed towards yellow fever virus (YF) virus by Plaque Reduction Neutralization Test (PRNT).
- Yellow fever
Serum. Minimum volume of 250 ml required.
Collect blood in serum separator tubes.
Store samples refrigerated until shipped for testing. Ship samples on cold pack, or with wet or dry ice.
Shipping of specimens shall be done by a TDG certified individual in accordance with TDG regulations. For additional information regarding classification of specimens for the purposes of shipping, consult either Part 2 Appendix 3 of the TDG Regulations or section 3.6.2 of the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations as applicable.
Suspected YF infection and relevant travel history.
Completed Viral Zoonoses requisition including sender laboratory name, address and telephone number. Patient name and / or identifier (specimen reference number), date of birth, test(s) requested, collection date of specimen, date of on-set of symptoms, and clinical and travel history of patient.
This is not a routine test. Please contact the Viral Zoonoses Diagnostic Laboratory before sending specimens. Initial screening serology such as YF virus ELISA or YF virus IFA must be reactive before samples will be considered for PRNT diagnostics.
Antibodies directed towards members of the flavivirus genus (dengue, West Nile virus, yellow fever) can cross react significantly in some serological assays such as the ELISA and IFA. The PRNT is a more specific assay and can be used to document the presence of serum antibodies specific for a particular flavivirus. Serum samples are incubated with virus, and if viral neutralizing antibodies are present, they will bind to the virus and prevent viral infection of cultured cells causing a reduction in the number of plaques detected. The neutralizing titre of a sample is expressed as the reciprocal of the serum dilution at which there is a 90% reduction in the number of plaques detected. If the patient has experienced more than one flavivirus infection, cross reactive results could in fact yield uninterpretable results with this assay despite increased specificity.
14 calendar days after the completion of YF virus IFA or YF virus ELISA testing.
- WHO. 2007. Guidelines for plaque reduction neutralization testing of human antibodies to dengue viruses