Human Parainfluenza Viruses - Diagnosis

Diagnosis

Diagnosis can be made in several ways, encompassing a range of multi-faceted techniques:

• Isolation and detection of the virus in cell culture.
• Detection of viral antigens directly within bodily respiratory tract secretions using immunofluorescence, enzyme immunoassays or fluroimmunoassays.
• Polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
• Analysis of specific IgG antibodies showing a subsequent rise in titre following infection (using paired serum specimens).

Because of the similarity in terms of the antigenic profile between the viruses, hemagglutination assay (HA) or hemadsorption inhibition (HAdI) processes are often used. Both complement fixation, neutralisation and enzyme linked immunosorbent assays – ELISA, can also be used to aid in the process of distinguishing between viral serotypes.