SYNTHETIC PEPTIDE AS CAPTURE AG FOR PARVOVIRUS IGG AND IGM

THE HUMAN PARVOVIRUS B19 (HPV B19), THE AGENT OF ERYTHEMA CONTAGIOSUM, APLASTIC CRISIS, AND HYDROPS FETALIS AMONG OTHER DISEASE STATES CANNOT BE CULTIVATED USING CONVENTIONALMETHODS AND IS DIFFICULT TO COLLECT FROM PATIENTS. THIS PROJECT WILL DEVELOP AN ASSAY TO DETECT SERUM ANTIBODIES AGAINST HPV B19, USING SYNTHETIC PEPTIDES AS CAPTURE ANTIGENS. FIRST, MAJOR EPITOPES WERE LOCALIZED ON THE VIRAL SUFFACE BY SIMULTANEOUSLY SYNTHESIZING ON POLYETHYLENE PINS SUCCESSIVE OVERLAPPING DECAPEPTIDES SPANNING THE ENTIRE PROTEIN IN A FORMAT ALLOWING ELISA TESTING. IN A SECOND STEP, PEPTIDE EPITOPES FROM CHOSEN PROTEIN AREAS WERE DESIGNED, SYNTHESIZED, MODIFIED, AND TESTED IN PROTOTYPE ASSAYS USING PANELS OF CHARACTERIZED ANTISERA. THE PRESENT PROJECT HAS DEMONSTRATED THE POSSIBILITY OF DESIGNING SYNTHETIC ANTIGENS THAT ARE EFFECTIVE IN VIRAL IMMUNOASSAYS. THIS CAN BE STANDARDIZED AND MADE APPLICABLE TO MORE COMPLEX VIRUSES.