Anticomplement immunofluorescence test that uses isolated fibroblast nuclei for detection of antibodies to human cytomegalovirus.

Cytomegalovirus antibodies were measured in human sera by a nuclear anticomplement immunofluorescence test that used as antigen the isolated nucleic of virus-infected fibroblasts cells lysed in distilled water. The method exhibited less nonspecific fluorescence than either a conventional whole-cell anticomplement immunofluorescence test or an indirect fluorescent antibody test applied to the same isolated nuclear substrate. The assay detected 97.5% of 40 antibody-positive sera, compared with 92.5 and 90% detection rates by indirect hemagglutination and complement fixation, respectively. In addition, antibody titers obtained by this technique were significantly higher than those obtained by either indirect hemagglutination (P < 0.02) or complement fixation with a glycine-extract antigen (P < 0.001).