Production and diagnostic application of recombinant domain III of West Nile envelope protein in Brazil

• Main Authors: Juliana Helena Chávez, Vinicius Pinho dos Reis, Jaqueline Raymondi Silva, Helen Julie Laure, José Cesar Rosa, Benedito Antônio Lopes da Fonseca, Luiz Tadeu Moraes Figueiredo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical (SBMT) 2013-01-01
• Series: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical
• Subjects: Diagnosis; WNV antibodies; ELISA
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0037-86822013000100097&lng=en&tlng=en

INTRODUCTION: West Nile virus (WNV) is a flavivirus with a natural cycle involving mosquitoes and birds. Over the last 11 years, WNV has spread throughout the Americas with the imminent risk of its introduction in Brazil. METHODS: Envelope protein domain III of WNV (rDIII) was bacterially expressed and purified. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with WNV rDIII antigen was standardized against mouse immune fluids (MIAFs) of different flavivirus. RESULTS: WNV rDIII reacted strongly with St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV) MIAF but not with other flaviviruses. CONCLUSIONS: This antigen may be a potentially useful tool for serologic diagnosis and may contribute in future epidemiological surveillance of WNV infections in Brazil.