New enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for detection of antibodies against hepatitis delta virus using a hepatitis delta antigen derived from a Taiwanese clone and comparison to the Abbott radioimmunoassay.

An anti-hepatitis delta (HD) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using a specific recombinant hepatitis delta antigen derived from a local dominant hepatitis delta virus (hepatitis D virus; HDV) strain in Taiwan has been established. The detection efficiency of this assay was comparable to that of the commercially available Abbott anti-HD radioimmunoassay (RIA) and could be useful in routine laboratory diagnoses of HDV infection.