What is rubella virus igg eia

The presence of certain antibodies means a recent infection, a past infection, or that you have been vaccinated against the disease. Rubella also called German measles or 3-day measles usually does not cause long-term problems. But a woman infected with the rubella virus during pregnancy can transmit the disease to her baby fetus.

And serious birth defects called congenital rubella syndrome CRS could develop, especially during the first trimester. Birth defects of CRS include cataracts and other eye problems, hearing impairment, and heart disease. Miscarriage and stillbirth are also possible consequences for pregnant women. The vaccination to prevent rubella protects against these complications. A rubella test is usually done for a woman who is or wants to become pregnant to determine whether she is at risk for rubella.

Several laboratory methods can be used to detect rubella antibodies in the blood. A test for rubella is done to find out if:. Some babies born with birth defects may be tested for congenital rubella. No special preparation is required before having this test.

The health professional taking a sample of your blood will:. The blood sample is taken from a vein in your arm. An elastic band is wrapped around your upper arm. It may feel tight. You may feel nothing at all from the needle, or you may feel a quick sting or pinch.

There is very little chance of a problem from having a blood sample taken from a vein. The test for IgG antibodies is most common and is the test done to see if a woman who is pregnant or planning to get pregnant is immune to rubella. The normal values listed here—called a reference range—are just a guide. These ranges vary from lab to lab, and your lab may have a different range for what's normal. Your lab report should contain the range your lab uses. Also, your doctor will evaluate your results based on your health and other factors.

This means that a value that falls outside the normal values listed here may still be normal for you or your lab. A positive rubella IgG test result is good—it means that you are immune to rubella and cannot get the infection. This is the most common rubella test done. This means you are not immune to rubella. If you are a woman thinking about getting pregnant, talk with your doctor about getting a rubella vaccine before pregnancy.

A test for rubella IgM antibodies is done only if the doctor suspects you have a current rubella infection. The measurement of rubella IgG antibody avidity can be used to distinguish between recent and remote rubella infection. Antibody avidity the overall strength of binding between the antigen and antibody increases with time; this is known as maturation of the immune response.

As the immune response matures, low avidity antibodies are replaced with high avidity antibodies. These avidity differences can be detected by using protein denaturants such as diethylamine DEA in the washing step of an enzyme-linked immunoassay EIA for rubella IgG. In acute rubella virus infections, specific, low-avidity IgG lasts for up to three months after appearance of the IgG response. The presence of high avidity antibodies, which develop by about three months after infection, provides evidence of remote infection.

The cut-off between low and high avidities has to be established by using standardized sera and a particular EIA kit. For pregnant women, avidity testing is most useful in early pregnancy to help rule out a rubella infection in the first trimester, when the risk of congenital defects due to rubella is highest. It is not as useful in late pregnancy because avidity will be high by the third trimester if infection occurred in the first trimester.

Congenital Rubella Syndrome CRS , which can occur when a woman is infected with rubella during a pregnancy, consists of a variety of possible birth defects including cataracts, hearing loss, heart defects, developmental disabilities, and low birthweight.

CRS was eliminated from the United States in , but cases can still be imported by pregnant women who contract rubella in an endemic country. In rare cases, CRS can occur in the United States when susceptible pregnant women are exposed to imported rubella cases. Liebert UG: Measles virus infections of the central nervous system. Measles-United States, Increased transmission and outbreaks of measles-European Region, Skip to main content. Register Sign In. Test Catalog Account. Outreach Solutions Tactics Articles Events.

Utilization Management Algorithms. Test Catalog. Download Test. Useful For Suggests clinical disorders or settings where the test may be helpful Determination of immune status of individuals to the measles virus Documentation of previous infection with measles virus in an individual without a previous record of immunization to measles virus. Positive: Antibody index AI value of 1.