Chemiluminescence-linked immunoassay for detection of mumps virus antibodies.

We have developed a simple and sensitive chemiluminescence-linked immunoassay (CLIA) for determining mumps virus antibodies. Luminol molecules were used as markers, and polystyrene balls were used as antigen carriers. The CLIA was compared with an enzyme-linked fluorescence assay and a hemagglutination inhibition test on a total of 40 serum specimens obtained from 29 donors with natural infection or vaccination. There was good correlation between the three methods, and the sensitivity of the CLIA was about 10 times higher than that of the hemagglutination inhibition test, although it was slightly inferior to that of the enzyme-linked fluorescence assay. Moreover, the time course of light emission from the labeled antibody was rapid, and therefore in the CLIA the quantitation of the marker takes only a short time.