The viral particle is constituted by one (or several) structural protein(s). These molecules, exposed at the surface of the particle, possess antigenic properties that could be used to produce serologically-based detection tools. Numerous antibodies (monoclonal or polyclonal) raised against PVY could be produced (e.g. using rabbits, mice or rats). Immunisation procedures use either purified viruses or synthetic peptides (that mimic selected epitopes of the coat protein). Characteristics of the produced antibodies allow the development of different assays including the Enzyme Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) test.
According to the variability of isolates belonging to the different PVY groups and variants, available serums raised against PVY make possible the detection of all isolates (polyclonal PVY serums) or the identification of the PVY isolates according to their groups (PVYN vs. PVYO; monoclonal PVY serums). Characteristics of the sequence coding for the PVY coat protein drive the specificity of the serological detection of isolates. In consequences, the efficient detection of PVYNTN and PVYN-W isolates requires the use of a serum raised against PVYN and PVYO, respectively. Several attempts to obtain serum(s) for specific detection of PVYNTN and PVYN-W have been initiated. However, such types of antibodies are not available yet.
The ELISA test requires, to highlight the presence of the targeted antigenic protein, the use of two (Double Antibody Sandwich, DAS) or three (Triple Antibody Sandwich, TAS) antibodies with different characteristics and specificity.