Development of ELISA for diagnosis of allergy to Dermatophagoides farinae
Ho, T.M.; Radha, K.; Shahnaz, M.; Singaram, S.P.
Medical Journal of Malaysia 48(3): 308-312
1993
ISSN/ISBN: 0300-5283 PMID: 8183144 Document Number: 415566
An ELISA was developed for the diagnosis of allergy to D. farinae. The efficacy of the ELISA was then evaluated against a prick test using a commercial D. farinae allergen. 85 patients from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, with a clinical diagnosis of allergic rhinitis were tested with the ELISA and the prick test. Prick test and ELISA results were positive in 84.7% and 80.0% of the patients, respectively. The ELISA was found to have 87.5% sensitivity, 61.5% specificity, 92.6% positive predictive value, 47.1% negative predictive value, 7.4% false positive and 52.9% false negative. There was total agreement between the prick test and ELISA for prick test grades 3+ and 4+. it is concluded that the ELISA is a useful assay for detection of individuals who are highly sensitive to D. farinae.