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Comparison of quantitative ELISA and semiquantitative Dustscreen ™ for determination of Der p 1, Der f 1, and Fel d 1 in domestic dust samples
Author(s) -
Lau S.,
Schulz G.,
Sommerfeld C.,
Wahn U.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
allergy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.363
H-Index - 173
eISSN - 1398-9995
pISSN - 0105-4538
DOI - 10.1034/j.1398-9995.2001.00117.x
Subject(s) - allergen , serial dilution , coefficient of variation , chemistry , mite , chromatography , immunology , biology , allergy , medicine , botany , pathology , alternative medicine
Background: Quantitative ELISA kits used for the measurement of indoor all_ergens are time‐consuming. Therefore, an immunodot assay (Dustscreen ™ ) has been introduced, so that results can be obtained within 4 h. In order to assess the potential applications of the new method, we compared quantitative ELISA methods and Dustscreen. Methods: We compared the measurements of the mite all_ergens Der p 1 and Der f 1, and Fel d 1 by both Dustscreen and one brand of ELISA in 82 dust samples, and we also compared the measurement of the cat all_ergen Fel d 1 by Dustscreen and a different brand of ELISA in 77 dust samples. Optimum dilutions of dust extracts were compared between the ELISA and the immunodot assay. The nonparametric coefficient of correlation (Spearman's rank) was calculated for each all_ergen. Results: The immunodot assay was easy to perform. There was a good correlation between the results of the ELISA and Dustscreen (Der p 1: r =0.98, Der f 1: r =0.93, and Fel d 1: r =0.98). However, the coefficient of variation varied between 50% and 100% for Fel d 1 above 100 000 ng/g in Dustscreen. No cockroach all_ergen (Bla g 2) was detected in domestic dust samples in Berlin, and lower concentrations of group 2 all_ergen of mite (from not detectable to 19 500 ng/gm; median concentration 2000 ng/g) were found than mite group 1 all_ergens (sum of Der p 1 plus Der f 1: median 12 350 ng/g, minimum n.d., maximum 153 120 ng/g). Conclusions: Our results indicate that quantification of indoor all_ergens in house‐dust samples can be performed easily with Dustscreen, and both the technology and methodology are satisfactory.