Immunoblot analysis of the human antibody response to respiratory syncytial virus infection.

The protein specificities of the antibodies induced during natural respiratory syncytial (RS) virus infection in humans were investigated using immunoblotting of human sera against virus proteins resolved by gel electrophoresis. Sera from 33 patients, who had complement-fixing antibodies against RS virus, were analysed. All the patients showed a response against the virus nucleoprotein (VPN41) and glycoprotein (VGP48). Antibodies against the virus proteins GP90, VPP32, VPM27 and two proteins of molecular weights 24,800 and 23,700 were also demonstrated. The spectrum of protein specificities of the antibodies varied among patients. There was an increase in the level of antibody for these virus proteins between the acute and convalescent serum samples from five patients. The protein specificities of the IgG and IgM antibodies were determined for five patients; VPN41, VPP32 and VPM27 induced IgG and IgM in all of these sera. Two of the five patients had detectable IgG but not IgM antibodies against VGP48, whereas the remaining three sera had detectable VGP48-specific IgG and IgM antibodies.