The Use of IgG Antibody Avidity Assays in the Diagnosis of Cytomegalovirus Infection

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common cause of congenital infection. Primary CMV infection can lead to severe disease and complications in patients immunocompromised as a result of disease or therapy. IgG antibody avidity assays make it possible to differentiate between primary infection and reactivation of latent infection or reinfection. The study objective was to determine CMV IgG avidity by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) with denaturation of IgG antibody binding to the antigen and by chemiluminiscent microparticle immunoassay (CMIA) on an Abbott Architect analyzer. Both methods yielded comparable CMV IgG avidity results. In some cases, the Abbott test was superior in reflecting IgG antibody maturation during primary infection to microplate ELISA using antigen-antibody complex dissociation by a denaturing agent.