Antibody Responses in Acute and Chronic Rubella

Summary

Comparative antibody tests for rubella were conducted with the neutralization, indirect fluorescent, and complement fixation methods. All of these techniques demonstrated slightly different patterns of antibody response. Sero-conversion with infection was detected in almost all cases with the 3 methods. Antibodies detectable by fluorescent antibody and complement fixation tests decreased after 15 months following infection. By 10 to 20 years following rubella half of the CF tests were negative. Con-genitally infected children showed a decrease in antibody between the first and fifth month of age which was most marked in the CF test. Their full antibody response in these cases did not occur until after the sixth month.