An investigation of the occurrence of SV40 antibodies in South Africa.

We developed an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of antibodies to simian virus 40 (SV40) in human serum. We then used the ELISA to test for anti-SV40 antibodies in healthy individuals and patients suffering from cancer and renal diseases. The aim of the study was to determine the presence of antibodies against SV40 in sera of individuals who received the South African poliovirus vaccines from 1958 to the present. Detecting such antibodies could give an indication of whether any of the poliovirus vaccines used in South Africa were ever contaminated with the SV40 or not. A total of 5/164 samples were repeatedly positive for SV40 antibodies by the ELISA. Four of the samples were from the healthy population group and the remaining 1 (1/64) was from the patient group. An SV40 antibody-blocking assay and a Western blot were used as additional confirmation for the SV40 antibodies, whereas the Western blot assay developed a single common band on all 5 samples.

Astrovirus infection in South Africa: a pilot study.

Astroviruses have been shown to be important aetiological agents associated with gastroenteritis in children, as have rotaviruses and the enteric adenoviruses. However, no inclusive studies have been conducted in South Africa to allow a comparison of the relative roles of these different viral agents. In this study, stool specimens were obtained between 1991 and 1993 from 225 young children with acute gastro-enteritis. These were examined for the presence of astroviruses using a monoclonal antibody-based ELISA, and for rotaviruses and enteric adenoviruses using commercially available kits. A control group of 56 infants and young children without symptoms of diarrhoeal illness was included in the study. Astroviruses were detected in 7% of the stools compared with 20% infected with rotaviruses and only 3% infected with enteric adenoviruses. In the control group, one specimen each had astrovirus or adenovirus and two shed rotaviruses. The astrovirus prevalence observed in this study is similar to that reported in other developing communities. Rotavirus and astrovirus infections were more prevalent in the autumn and early winter than in other seasons. Astrovirus and rotavirus infections predominated in children between 3 and 22 months of age.