Evaluation of Polycheck Allergy assay for detecting allergen specific IgE

초록

Background : It is important to detect specific allergen for the diagnosis of allergic disease. The skin prick test (SPT) via an in vivo test or the detection of allergen specific IgE in serum via an in vitro test is commonly used. The multiple allergen simultaneous test (MAST) is widely accepted screening method in Korea. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of a new MAST immunoblot assay, Polycheck Allergy (Biocheck GmbH, Germany). Methods : A total of 100 patients with clinical findings of allergic diseases were tested SPT, Polycheck Allergy (Biocheck GmbH, Germany), MAST CLA allergy system (Hitachi Chemical Diagnostics, USA) and Allergy Screen (R-biopharm, Germany). We compare the results of three different MAST assays with those of the SPT. Results : Sensitivity ranged 22.2-97.6% for Polycheck Allergy, 22.2-91.8% for MAST CLA, 33.3-96.5% for Allergy Screen. Specificity of these three MAST assays were 75.0-98.9%, 81.3-98.9%, 73.5-98.9%, respectively. Concordance rates of MAST assays with SPT were 79-100% for Polycheck Allergy, 88.9-100% for MAST CLA and 72.7-98.3% for Allergy Screen. The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis revealed significant differences in four allergens out of 25 analysed. In Alternaria and Birch, AUC (area under the curve)s of Polycheck Allergy and Allergy Screen were significantly higher than that of MAST CLA (P<0.001, P=0.0075). AUC of Polycheck Allergy in Hazelnut (P=0.0021) and AUC of MAST CLA in Dermatophagoides farinae were significantly higher than those of the others (P=0.015). The ROC analyses showed better result in Polycheck Allergy than others for overall 16 food allergens (P<0.001) and no significant differences among three MAST assays for overall 21 inhalants (P>0.05). Conclusions : The Polycheck Allergy assay showed similar result compared with previous MAST CLA and Allergy Screen. It could be useful to detect allergen specific IgE antibodies