Methods for Detecting Antimeasles, Mumps, and Rubella Virus Antibodies

Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) virus infections are common during childhood throughout the world. Measles and mumps viruses belong to the
Paramyxoviridae
family with an RNA genome of negative polarity and a simrlar overall viral structure at the molecular level (
1
,
2
). Rubella virus is a member of the
Togaviridae
family containing a positive-stranded RNA genome encoding both nonstructural and structural viral proteins (
3
). Schematic representations of the MMR viruses, their genome structures and structural proteins are shown in Fig. 1 . Measles virus infection is characterized by a generalized exanthema, fever, and occasionally also central nervous system (CNS) symptoms. Measles virus is highly contagious and causes high morbidity. Typically mumps virus causes parotitis, but occasionally complications, such as, meningitis (encephalitis), orchitis, pancreatitis, and some other more rare symptoms, are seen. The symptoms of rubella virus infections are usually very mild with generalized maculopapular rash and low fever. Often the infection goes unrecognized. A special danger associated with rubella virus infections is its ability to cause fetal infection and subsequently severe birth defects known as congenital rubella syndrome.
Fig. 1.
(
previous puge
) Schematic representation of measles, mumps, and rubella viruses, then genome structure, and
SDS
-PAGE analysis of viral structural protein. (
A
) Measles virus and autoradiography of metabolically labeled virus-infected Vero cells (kindly provided by Dr R. Vainionpaa). (
B
) Mumps virus and Coomassie blue-stained gel of purlfied mumps viruses (from
ref
.
5
). (
C
) Rubella virus and immunoblot of purified rubella virus stained with rabbit antirubella virus antibodies (Oker-Blom et al, unpublished results) L, viral polymerase; HN, hemagglutinin-neuraminidase; H, hemagglutinin; P, phosphoprotein, polymerase, NP, nucleoprotein; F. fusion protein; F1/2, proteolytically cleaved F protein; M, matrix protein; E1, E2, and C, envelope glycoproteins and nucleocapsid protein of rubella virus, respectively Gene structures as descri-bed (
refs
.
1
-
3
).