Monitoring of the activity of antibodies against hantavirus in patients with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome

Aim. To determine the diagnostic significance of antibodies to Hantavirus in patients with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, depending on the period and the severity of the course of disease. Methods. Studied was the content of specific antibodies (immunoglobulins G) to hantaviruses in blood serum in the rapidly precipitating and slowly precipitating circulating immune complexes by enzyme immunoassay using a test system «Hantagnost» in modification. Studied were 226 patients with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (24 patients with mild form, 105 with moderate and 97 patients with severe form of the disease) in the febrile, oliguric and polyuric periods. Results. Specific antibodies (immunoglobulins G) were present already in the febrile period of the disease in all (100%) patients in the serum and in the rapidly precipitating circulating immune complexes. Antibodies in the slowly precipitating complexes in the febrile period were found only in patients with severe and moderate forms of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, in subsequent periods they were found significantly more frequently in patients with a severe course of disease. Severe forms of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome caused the most pronounced serologic response with a maximal content of immunoglobulins G to Hantaviruses in the oliguric period. During the period of polyuria the severe forms of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome were accompanied by significantly lower levels of free circulating antibodies and a high level of bound antibodies compared with moderate and mild forms of the disease. Conclusion. In patients with hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome anti-Hantavirus antibodies (immunoglobulins G) in serum and in the rapidly precipitating immune complexes are detected already at the early stages of the disease in 100% of the cases; the frequency of detection of antibodies in the slowly precipitating circulating immune complexes in the early stages depends on the severity of disease: they are present in 100% of patients with a severe form of the disease, in 50% - with the moderate form, and with the mild form - can not be detected.