Getting more out of less--a quantitative serological screening tool for simultaneous detection of multiple influenza A hemagglutinin-types in chickens

Gudrun S Freidl; Erwin de Bruin; Janko van Beek; Johan Reimerink; Sjaak de Wit; Guus Koch; Lonneke Vervelde; Henk-Jan van den Ham; Marion P G Koopmans

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0108043

Getting more out of less--a quantitative serological screening tool for simultaneous detection of multiple influenza A hemagglutinin-types in chickens

PLoS One. 2014 Sep 23;9(9):e108043. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0108043. eCollection 2014.

Authors

Gudrun S Freidl¹, Erwin de Bruin², Janko van Beek¹, Johan Reimerink², Sjaak de Wit³, Guus Koch⁴, Lonneke Vervelde⁵, Henk-Jan van den Ham⁶, Marion P G Koopmans¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Viroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Emerging Infectious Diseases, Division of Virology, Centre for Infectious Diseases Research, Diagnostics and Perinatal Screening, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
² Emerging Infectious Diseases, Division of Virology, Centre for Infectious Diseases Research, Diagnostics and Perinatal Screening, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, The Netherlands.
³ GD Animal Health Service (AHS), Deventer, The Netherlands.
⁴ Central Veterinary Institute (CVI), Lelystad, The Netherlands.
⁵ Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
⁶ Department of Viroscience, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Abstract

Current avian influenza surveillance in poultry primarily targets subtypes of interest for the veterinary sector (H5, H7). However, as virological and serological evidence suggest, surveillance of additional subtypes is important for public health as well as for the poultry industry. Therefore, we developed a protein microarray enabling simultaneous identification of antibodies directed against different HA-types of influenza A viruses in chickens. The assay successfully discriminated negative from experimentally and naturally infected, seropositive chickens. Sensitivity and specificity depended on the cut-off level used but ranged from 84.4% to 100% and 100%, respectively, for a cut off level of ≥ 1:40, showing minimal cross reactivity. As this testing platform is also validated for the use in humans, it constitutes a surveillance tool that can be applied in human-animal interface studies.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Chickens
Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / analysis*
Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / immunology
Influenza A virus / isolation & purification*
Influenza in Birds / diagnosis*
Influenza in Birds / immunology
Sensitivity and Specificity

Substances

Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus

Grants and funding

This project was funded by the European Commission's FP7 program under the umbrella of the Antigone project - ANTIcipating the global onset of novel epidemics (project number 278976, http://antigonefp7.eu/). Part of the serum samples were generated within the FES program on Avian Influenza financed by the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Netherlands. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.