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Interleukin‐4 enzyme‐linked immunospot assay may be useful for diagnosing sensitization to house dust mite
Author(s) -
Chang DongYeop,
Lee Jino,
Choi SungWon,
Lee Hyeong Joo,
Kang Hyunmo,
Yeo Seong Chul,
Joo YeonHee,
Cho HyunJin,
Jeon SeaYuong,
Kim Rock Bum,
Kim SangWook
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
international forum of allergy and rhinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.503
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 2042-6984
pISSN - 2042-6976
DOI - 10.1002/alr.21786
Subject(s) - elispot , medicine , immunology , allergen , allergy , house dust mite , sensitization , area under the curve , receiver operating characteristic , immunoglobulin e , gastroenterology , antibody , antigen , cd8
Background The skin prick test (SPT) is considered a standard test for identification of allergens, but it has some limitations in clinical practice. The multiple allergen simultaneous test (MAST), which measures allergen‐specific immunoglobulin E in patients’ serum, is a widely used alternative test, but is limited by its relatively low sensitivity and specificity. As a novel diagnostic test to identify allergens, we investigated the sensitivity and specificity of an interleukin‐4 (IL‐4) enzyme‐linked immunospot (ELISpot) assay for Dermatophagoides farinae ( Der f ) and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus ( Der p ). Methods Based on the symptoms and SPT results, 43 house dust mite (HDM) allergic rhinitis (AR) patients and 41 control subjects were included. Peripheral blood was drawn from each subject for IL‐4 ELISpot assay and MAST. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was conducted to determine the cutoff values. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive and neg predictive values were compared between the 2 tests. Results The sensitivity, specificity, and areas under the ROC curve (AUCs) of the IL‐4 ELISpot assay were 88.4%, 97.6%, and 0.939 for Der f , and 95.3%, 97.5%, and 0.971 for Der p , respectively. However, the sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of MAST were 76.7%, 73.2%, and 0.777 for Der f , and 69.8%, 75.6%, and 0.788 for Der p , respectively. Conclusion The IL‐4 ELISpot assay showed higher sensitivity, specificity, and AUC than MAST, which indicates its clinical feasibility for diagnosing allergy for HDM. A further study is needed to determine the accuracy of the IL‐4 ELISpot assay for other common allergens.