Performance of an envelope glycoprotein-based multiplex immunoassay for Ebola virus antibody detection in a cohort of Ebola virus disease survivors

Abstract

Serological surveillance in animal and human hosts can be a cost-effective strategy for orthoebolavirus detection, but is challenged by accurate estimates of seroprevalence, potential pauci-symptomatic disease presentation, and antigenic cross-reactivity. Here, we describe the use of an envelope glycoprotein (GP)-based multiplex microsphere immunoassay, consisting of nine filovirus GP antigens for the detection of anti-Ebola virus (EBOV) antibodies in a well-characterized cohort of Guinean Ebola virus disease (EVD) survivors and contacts from the 2013 - 2016 West African EVD outbreak. We examined sensitivity and specificity for the detection of anti-EBOV antibodies by GP expressed as recombinant trimeric ectodomains, yielding an assay performance of 95.96 % sensitivity and 98.61 % specificity. Additionally, agreement between the multiplex test and a whole virus ELISA and virus neutralization test showed strong correlations. The results demonstrate that this filovirus multiplex test is a sensitive tool for high-throughput serosurveillance.

Keywords: Ebola virus; Glycoprotein; Orthoebolaviruses; Serology.