Limited reliability of the indirect immunofluorescence technique for the detection of anti-Rib-P antibodies

Following publication of our recent article [1], we noticed the following errors: In the Results section, under the heading ‘Confirmation of anti-Rib-P reactivity in 51 samples by other methods’, in the first sentence, 39.6 % should be 41.2%. In the same section, the following sentence: The agreement between the individual methods and the IB was found at 0.57 (P < 0.0001) (ELISA), 0.71 (P < 0.0001), and 0.96 (P < 0.0001) according to the kappa method. Should read: The agreement between the individual methods and the IB was found at 0.57 (P < 0.0001) (ELISA), 0.71 (P < 0.0001) (LIA), and 0.96 (P < 0.0001) (EliA(R)) according to the kappa method. In the results section, under the heading ‘Anti-Rib-P reactivity in a systemic lupus erythematosus cohort and controls’, in the second sentence, 28 % should be 29%. Referenc

Evaluation of a Novel Rapid Test System for the Detection of Specific IgE to Hymenoptera Venoms

Background. The Allergy Lateral Flow Assay (ALFA) is a novel rapid assay for the detection of sIgE to allergens. The objective of this study is the evaluation of ALFA for the detection of sIgE to bee venom (BV) and wasp venom (WV) in insect venom allergic patients. Methods. Specific IgE to BV and WV was analyzed by ALFA, ALLERG-O-LIQ, and ImmunoCAP in 80 insect venom allergic patients and 60 control sera. Sensitivity and specificity of ALFA and correlation of ALFA and ImmunoCAP results were calculated. Results. The sensitivity/specificity of ALFA to the diagnosis was 100%/83% for BV and 82%/97% for WV. For insect venom allergic patients, the Spearman correlation coefficient for ALFA versus ImmunoCAP was 0.79 for BV and 0.80 for WV. However, significant differences in the negative control groups were observed. Conclusion. ALFA represents a simple, robust, and reliable tool for the rapid detection of sIgE to insect venoms

Novel Clinical and Diagnostic Aspects of Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) are the serological hallmark of some idiopathic systemic vasculitides. Besides the investigation of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and constant effort for a standardized nomenclature and classification of the AAV, amain focus of research during the last few years has been to constantly improve the performance of enzyme immunoassays. With the latest so called third generation ELISA, this goal seemed to be fulfilled. The International Consensus Statement on Testing and Reporting of ANCA gave recommendations for standardized strategies for the serological diagnosis of ANCA. New developments now target the system immanent drawbacks of the respective diagnosticmethods, be it the need for batching and the long time to result for ELISA, or the high likelihood of error and subjectivity of indirect immunofluorescence (IIF). Randomaccess technology andmultiplexing for solid phase assays aswell as digital imaging for IIF are toolswhichmay help to expedite and simplify routine diagnostics in the lab and in emergency settings. Recent findings indicate that PR3-ANCA have clinical utility beyond the diagnosis of AAV. PR3-ANCA can also serve as an aid for the differentiation between ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CrD) and the stratification of UC patients. This review provides a detailed review of what is known about ANCA and highlights the latest research and state-of-the-art developments in this area

New Methods for the Diagnosis of Myositis

In dieser Arbeit wurden Markerautoantigene der Polymyositis bzw. Dermatomyositis (PM/DM) rekombinant mittels eines hochwertigen Expressionsystems hergestellt. Es wurden Testsysteme entwickelt, mit denen ohne großen technischen Aufwand in möglichst kurzer Zeit ein differenzierter serologischer Nachweis einer PM/DM in einem einem Patientenserum erstellt werden kann. Diese bei der IMTEC Immundiagnostika GmbH in Zusammenarbeit mit der Charite Berlin entwickelten Diagnostika sind nunmehr unter den Bezeichnungen „Myositis LIA“, „Jo-1 ELISA“ und „PM-Scl ELISA“ im Handel. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurden folgende Schwerpunkte der Entwicklung durchgeführt: -Amplifikation der rekombinanten Gensequenzen -Expression der rekombinanten Antigene in unterschiedlichen Expressionssystemen -Aufreinigung und immunologische Charakterisierung der rekombinanten Antigene -Entwicklung der Testsysteme -Evaluierung mit klinisch beschriebenen Seren zur Überprüfung der Sensitivität und der Spezifität der entwickelten TestsystemeIn this work the marker autoantigens for Polymyositis and Dermatomyositis were generated recombinantly using the baculovirus expression system. A new Line immuno assay in strip design was established that facilitates a differential serological diagnosis of PM/DM in a short period of time. The diagnostic testkits developed at IMTEC Immundiagnostika GmbH in Berlin are now commercially available named ”Myositis-LIA”, ”Jo-1 ELISA” and “PM-Scl ELISA”. The main targets of this work were: -Amplification of the genomic Sequences of Jo-1, Mi2, PM-Scl, SRP54, Ku70, Ku80, RNP- A,-C, and -68kD -Expression of the recombinant Antigens in different Expressionsystems -Purification and immunological characterisation of the recombinant antigens -Development of Testsystems -Evaluation of testsystems using patient sera with known clinical pictur

Comment on Favresse et al. Persistence of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Depends on the Analytical Kit: A Report for Up to 10 Months after Infection. Microorganisms 2021, 9, 556

We thank the authors of the article [...

Novel Clinical and Diagnostic Aspects of Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) are the serological hallmark of some idiopathic systemic vasculitides. Besides the investigation of ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and constant effort for a standardized nomenclature and classification of the AAV, a main focus of research during the last few years has been to constantly improve the performance of enzyme immunoassays. With the latest so called third generation ELISA, this goal seemed to be fulfilled. The International Consensus Statement on Testing and Reporting of ANCA gave recommendations for standardized strategies for the serological diagnosis of ANCA. New developments now target the system immanent drawbacks of the respective diagnostic methods, be it the need for batching and the long time to result for ELISA, or the high likelihood of error and subjectivity of indirect immunofluorescence (IIF). Random access technology and multiplexing for solid phase assays as well as digital imaging for IIF are tools which may help to expedite and simplify routine diagnostics in the lab and in emergency settings. Recent findings indicate that PR3-ANCA have clinical utility beyond the diagnosis of AAV. PR3-ANCA can also serve as an aid for the differentiation between ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CrD) and the stratification of UC patients. This review provides a detailed review of what is known about ANCA and highlights the latest research and state-of-the-art developments in this area.Peer Reviewe