EnzymeimmunoassayforthequalitativedeterminationofIgMclassantibodiesagainstAdenovirusinhumanserumorplasma(citrate).Adenovirusesaredouble-strandedDNAvirusesofabout70-90nmlackinganenvelope.Thecapsidcontains252capsomeresandshowsicosahedralsymmetry.Thecapsomeresconsistofhexons,pentonsandfiberproteintrimerswhichareresponsIBLefortheinductionofgroup-andtype-specificantibodies.Forthefirsttimeadenoviruseswereisolatedin1953fromtonsilsandadenoidtissuebyRowe.Morethan80adenovirusesareknownatpresent.47outofthemarepathogenicformen.Theycauseseveraldiseasesofdifferentorganicsystems,mainlyeyes,pharynx,respiratoryandgastrointestinalsystem.Adenovirusinfectionsarecommonandfrequent.Mostinfectionsappearduringchildhood.Theypassoflatentlysothattheviruscanstillbedetectedintonsilsaftertwoyears.Itisexcreteviasalivaandfaeces.Gatetobodyaremouth,nasalpharynxandconjunctivaoftheeye.Mostinfectionspassoffwithoutsymptoms.Around5%ofallcoughsandsneezesofchildrenarecausedbyadenoviruses.Epidemicsmayoccurinpopulationscrowdedtogether,forexampleacuterespiratorydiseaseinmilitarygroups,pharyngoconjunctivalfeverinswimmingpools,andepidemickeratoconjunctivitisinmedicalfacilities.Infectionofhospitalsandswimmingpoolsgratifyspecialdemandsonhygienics.

ThequalitativeimmunoenzymaticdeterminationofIgM-classantibodiesagainstAdenovirusisbasedontheELISA(Enzyme-linkedImmunosorbentAssay)technique.MicrotiterstripwellsareprecoatedwithAdenovirusantigenstobindcorrespondingantibodiesofthespecimen.AfterwashingthewellstoremoveallunboundsamplematerialhorserADIshperoxidase(HRP)labelledanti-humanIgMconjugateisadded.ThisconjugatebindstothecapturedAdenovirus-specificantibodies.TheimmunecomplexformedbytheboundconjugateisvisualizedbyaddingTetramethylbenzidine(TMB)substratewhichgivesabluereactionproduct.TheintensityofthisproductisproportionaltotheamountofAdenovirusspecificIgMantibodiesinthespecimen.Sulphuricacidisaddedtostopthereaction.Thisproducesayellowendpointcolour.Absorbanceat450nmisreadusinganELISAmicrowellplatereader.