Relative efficacy of egg albumin as blocking agent in dot immunobinding assay for detection of group B coxsackieviruses.

ABSTRACT

Non specific binding (NSB) is an important factor affecting sensitivity and specificity in dot immunobinding assay (DIA). Several blocking agents e.g. egg albumin, casein, gelatin, milk powder and goat serum were evaluated for their relative efficacy vis-a-vis bovine serum albumin (BSA) for DIA system purported for detection of group B coxsackieviruses (CVB). The results suggest that egg albumin (5%) which is economical and readily available may act as an effective blocking agent in DIA system.