The Use of an Indirect Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay to Detect Baculovirus in Larvae and Adults of Oryctes rhinoceros from Tonga

Abstract

SUMMARY An indirect sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to detect the baculovirus of Oryctes rhinoceros in purified virus preparations and in extracts of O. rhinoceros larvae and adults collected in the field in Tonga. A 20 ng amount of purified virus was detected unequivocally but precise quantitative determinations of virus in insect extracts proved difficult because virus in solutions containing host protein gave lower absorbance values than a comparable purified virus standard. The implications for use of ELISA in ecological studies are discussed together with the choice of appropriate standards.