Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for cytomegalovirus antibody in donor plasma.

An adaptation of an enzyme immunoassay technique was developed to screen donor plasma for high titres of antibodies to cytomegalovirus (CMV). The technique uses microtitre plates treated with glutaraldehyde and coated with CMV antigen and an anti-IgG alkaline phosphatase conjugate to detect the captured antibody. Using an anti-CMV standard with a 1/64 titre by complement fixation, 34 (6.8%) of 500 sera were shown to have an antibody titre that was acceptable to the Blood Products Laboratory in England for anti-CMV immunoglobulin production.