Calbiotech Zika Virus IgM ELISA

SUMMARY AND EXPLANATION 
Zika virus (ZIKAV) is a mosquito-transmitted single stranded virus in the family Flaviviridae and genus Flavivirus. It was initially isolated in 1947 from blood of a febrile sentinel rhesus monkey during a yellow fever study in the Zika forest of Uganda. The virus was subsequently isolated from a pool of Aedes africanus mosquitoes collected in 1948 from the same region of the Zika forest. ZIKAV infection is asymptomatic in many patients; when clinical illness does occur, it is generally mild, with exanthematous rash, fever, conjunctivitis, or arthralgia. The illness is usually mild with symptoms lasting for several days to a week after being stung by an infected mosquito. Only 20% of people infected show any of the symptoms. While those symptoms are typically mild, the main concern of Zika comes from its transmission from pregnant women to their fetuses. There is serious reason for alarm that Zika can cause abnormal brain development in fetuses, resulting in miscarriage or severe microcephaly, a serious condition in which the baby’s head and brain are severely underdeveloped. Due to the potential link between ZIKAV infection and microcephaly, on February 1, 2016, WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern.

PRINCIPLE OF THE TEST 
Diluted patient serum (serum diluent contains sorbent to remove rheumatoid factor and human IgM interference) is added to wells coated with purified antigen. IgM specific antibody, if present, binds to the antigen. All unbound materials are washed away and the enzyme conjugate is added to bind to the antibody-antigen complex. If present, excess enzyme conjugate is washed off and substrate is added. The plate is incubated to allow the oxidation of the substrate by the enzyme. The intensity of the color generated is proportional to the amount of IgM specific antibody in the sample.

STORAGE AND STABILITY 
1. Store the kit at 2-8°C. 
2. Keep microwells sealed in a dry bag with desiccants. 
3. The reagents are stable until expiration of the kit. 
4. Do not expose test reagents to heat, sun or strong light.