Abstract
Determination of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Serostatus and Absolute Serum Anti-CMV IgG Titers for the Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS): Pilot Testing
Soyeon Kim1, Yukang Li2, Huifen Li, Ph.D.2, Sean Leng, M.D., Ph.D.2
1Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine (NSU MD)
2Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Introduction: Currently, there is no systematic analysis of serum anti-CMV IgG titers in Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS) participants. The efficient and precise determination of cytomegalovirus (CMV) serostatus and absolute serum anti-CMV IgG titers is important for longitudinally assessing the role of chronic CMV infection in HIV-associated immunosenescence and adverse health outcomes in the aging participants of MACS.
Methods: Commercially available CMV IgG ELISA kits were surveyed. Two were selected for testing: EUROIMMUN and GenWay Kits. Samples were selected randomly for the pilot study and tested multiple times to assess detection range and inter-lot variation.
Outcomes: EUROIMMUN Kit was selected based on its sample compatibility, consistency, and reproducibility. In addition, ambiguity in the supplied protocol was clarified through communication with the manufacturer and empirical experiments. Further analyses on intra-assay, inter-assay, and inter-lot variations in terms of % Coefficient of Variation (%CV) were done to determine reproducibility between assays.
Discussion: Although we retrieved five samples from the MACS Cohort and they responded normally in one test, it is not clear whether there are any differences between the samples collected for the WHAS II Cohort compared to that for the MACS Cohort in terms of assay compatibility. However, despite limitations, our study sufficiently demonstrates that EUROIMMUN CMV IgG ELISA kits are relatively higher performing and a better fit for our needs than GenWay kits.
