A chemiluminescent enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (CELISA) was developed for detecting human immunoglobulin G and herpes simplex viral antigen. A comparison of CELISA with a conventional absorptiometric detection system showed that CELISA was 100 times more sensitive than absorptiometry for the measurement of human immunglobulin G. Similarly, CELISA detected as few as 40 plaque-forming units of herpes simplex virus in contrast to 2,500 plaque-forming units detected by absorptiometry. Of 18 specimens which were positive for herpes simplex virus type 1 by isolation in tissue culture, 15 (83%) were detected by CELISA within a few hours; in certain cases, several days were necessary for detection of virus by isolation techniques.
