Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay employing monoclonal antibodies for direct identification of enteric adenoviruses (Ad40,41) in feces.

For detection and identification of enteric adenovirus (Ad) types 40 and 41 in stool specimens, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed with the use of three monoclonal antibodies: Ad group-specific, Ad40 type-specific, and Ad41 type-specific antibodies. Of 860 fecal samples from patients with acute gastroenteritis, 44 strains of Ad were isolated using Graham 293 cell cultures. Of these isolates, 20 were typed as Ad40, 18 were Ad41, and 6 were other Ads by neutralization tests with cell cultures. Results of the ELISA tests on these 860 fecal samples resulted in good agreement to those with the cell culture method. The ELISA tests using Ad type-specific monoclonal antibodies proved to be a specific and rapid technique for laboratory diagnosis of acute gastroenteritis caused by enteric Ads.