Les automates d’immuno-analyse pour la recherche et le dosage d’immunoglobulines E spécifiques unitaires

The detection and assay of specific IgE is done by immunological techniques using allergenic extracts assubstrates as well as molecular allergens used as specific and/or predictive markers of clinical allergy. InFrance, four automated immunoassay instruments share the market for performing this assay routinelyin the medical laboratory: the Phadia TM from Thermo Fisher Scientific® , the Immulite TM from Siemens® ,the NOVEOS TM from HYCOR Biomedical® and the iSYS TM from IDS® . The purpose of this article is todescribe the characteristics of routinely available immunoassay instruments for the determination ofspecific IgE and to show that although the different techniques are equivalent to each other in termsof repeatability, reproducibility and linearity, the specific IgE results obtained are correlated but notquantitatively identical. Therefore, when monitoring specific IgE levels, it is essential to use the sametechnique on the same instrument.La détection et le dosage des IgE spécifiques se fait par technique immunologique en utilisant commesubstrat des extraits allergéniques ainsi que des allergènes moléculaires utilisés comme marqueurs spé-cifiques et/ou prédictifs d’allergie clinique. En France, quatre automates d’immuno-analyse se partagentle marché pour effectuer ce dosage en routine au laboratoire d’analyses médicales : le Phadia TM dela société Thermo Fisher Scientific® , l’Immulite TM de la société Siemens® , le NOVEOS TM de la sociétéHYCOR Biomedical® et l’iSYS TM de la société IDS® . Cet article a pour but de décrire les caractéristiquesdes automates d’immuno-analyse disponibles en routine pour le dosage des IgE spécifiques unitaires etde montrer que bien que les différentes techniques soient équivalentes entre elles en termes de répétabi-lité, reproductibilité et linéarité, les résultats d’IgE spécifiques obtenus sont corrélés mais non identiquesquantitativement. De ce fait, dans le cadre d’un suivi du taux d’IgE spécifiques, il est indispensabled’utiliser la même technique sur le même automat

Reference values for T, B and NK human lymphocyte subpopulations in adults

The data presented in this paper are reference ranges for frequencies of thirty-eight subpopulations of T, B and NK lymphocytes, established from a cohort of 253 healthy blood donors aged from 19 to 67. When relevant, the influence of age or sex was taken into account to calculate these reference values. This article is related to the research article entitled “Influence of age, sex and HCMV-serostatus on blood lymphocyte subpopulations in healthy adults” (Apoil et al., 2017) [1]. Immunophenotyping data obtained from each individual is made publicly available for extended analyses

Cutaneous mastocytosis in adults with a serum tryptase level < 20 ng mL –1: why we should investigate further

International audienceDear Editor, Mastocytosis is a rare disease characterized by the accumulation/proliferation of abnormal mast cells (MCs).1 Mastocytosis is categorized into isolated cutaneous mastocytosis (CM), where only the skin is infiltrated by abnormal MC, and systemic mastocytosis (SM), where at least one internal organ is involved.2 SM is diagnosed according to the criteria defined by the World Health Organization (WHO).3 The major criterion consists of the presence of multifocal dense infiltrates of MC in a bone marrow (BM) biopsy or extracutaneous tissues. The minor criteria comprise the following: the presence of > 25% of MC with abnormal cytology out of all MCs in a BM biopsy or in other nonskin tissues; abnormal expression of CD2 and/or CD25 on MCs in an immunohistochemistry study and/or by flow cytometry analysis; the presence of the KIT codon D816V mutation in BM aspirate and a serum tryptase level (STL) > 20 ng mL–1. SM is diagnosed if the major criterion and at least one minor criterion or three minor criteria are present. For the diagnosis of SM, performing a BM aspirate and/or a BM biopsy is mandatory. For a patient presenting with CM, the first question for the physician is whether the disease is limited to the skin or does it involve internal organs? Answering this question is of relevance as specific treatments are available or under investigation in patients with SM – especially those with disabling MC activation symptoms or advanced SM. Screening basal STL in patients with CM is considered to be a cost-effective first-line tool to distinguish possible SM from isolated CM