Rapid Diagnostic Test of Early Measles Virus Infection

We will develop a rapid diagnostic test for the early diagnosis of measles virus infection. Amodified dot blot assay, the Measles AccuSpot test, will be designed to detect measles-specific IgMduring the acute stage of infection. Use of the Measles AccuSpot device, which will utilize B-MVNrecombinant measles antigen coated onto nitrocellulose, requires only three drops of whole blood filteredthrough an anti-coagulant impregnated plasma separator. Measles-specific IgM are visualized usingcolloidal gold-conjugated anti-human IgM. The reproducibility, specificity and sensitivity of this test willbe compared to a well-established measles-specific ELISA. This simple, inexpensive test can beperformed in less than 5 minutes. Based on our work for rapid HIV testing, it is expected to besufficiently reliable, sensitive and specific for use in the field or clinical setting.