Comparative study of different immunoserological techniques for the detection of antibodies against transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE) coronavirus

Abstract

In order to carry out a sero-epidemiological survey of transmissible gastroenteritis (TGE) infection in a high-density pig-breeding area the Murcia region, Spain), the sensitivity and the specificity of 5 different techniques were compared. Twenty-four sera from non-infected and infected pigs were analyzed by the following tests: in vitro neutralization, indirect ELISA with concentrated virus, indirect ELISA with purified virus, immunocapture ELISA and VELCIA (virus-enzyme linked cell immunoassay). All sera from infected pigs were detected as positive only by seroneutralization, ELISA with purified virus and VELCIA (sensitivity 100%). False-positive sera were detected with several tests (ELISA with purified virus and concentrated virus, ELISA immunocapture with a specificity of 88, 88 and 76% respectively). Only VELCIA provided a specificity as high as that obtained with seroneutralization (100%).