Journal List > Korean J Lab Med > v.29(5) > 1011583

Jang, Nahm, Kim, Lim, Jang, Moon, and Kim: Allergen Specific IgE Measurement with Polycheck Allergy: Comparison of Three Multiple Allergen Simultaneous Tests

Abstract

Background:

The in vivo skin prick test (SPT) or in vitro detection of allergen specific IgE in serum is commonly used for the diagnosis of allergic disease. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of a new multiple allergen simultaneous test (MAST) immunoblot assay, Polycheck Allergy (Biocheck GmbH, Germany).

Methods:

A total of 100 patients with clinical findings of allergic diseases were tested by SPT and three different MAST assays: Polycheck Allergy (Biocheck GmbH, Germany), MAST CLA allergy system (Hitachi Chemical Diagnostics, USA) and Allergy Screen (R-biopharm, Germany). The results of MAST assays were compared with those of SPT.

Results:

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. In ROC curve analysis, significant differences were observed in four of 25 allergens analysed: Alternaria, Birch, Hazelnut and D. farinae. For Alternaria and Birch, Polycheck Allergy (P<0.001) and Allergy Screen (P=0.0075) showed significantly larger AUC (area under the curve) than MAST CLA. For Hazelnut, Polycheck Allergy (P=0.0021), and for D. farinae, MAST CLA (P=0.015) showed significantly larger AUCs than the other two tests. The ROC analysis for overall 16 food allergens showed better results in Polycheck Allergy (P<0.001), and that for overall 21 inhalants did not show significant differences among three MAST assays (P>0.05).

Conclusions:

Since Polycheck Allergy showed similar or superior result to the others, it can be used for the detection of allergen specific IgE antibodies.

REFERENCES

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Table 1.
The results of skin prick test according to the diagnosis in patients of this study (n=100)
Diagnosis Skin prick test
Positive for one or more allergens Negative for all allergens
Rhinitis 52 2
Asthma 23 0
Sinusitis 6 4
Atopic dermatitis 4 2
Nasal septal deviation 5 0
Urticaria 1 1
Total 91 9
Table 2.
Allergens included in three multiple allergen simultaneous tests
Allergen Polycheck Allergy MAST CLA Allergy Screen
Inhalants contained in common D. pteronyssinus, D. farinae, Cockroach, Dog, Cat, Alternaria, Birch pollen, Ragweed pollen, Mugwort pollen, Cultivated rye pollen, Timothy, R. Thistle, Ash pollen, Acacia, Hazel pollen, Oak, White, Bermuda, Cocksfoot, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Yeast, bakers, Sycamore Mix, Dandelion, Cedar, Japanese Goldenrod
Inhalants contained in each reagent Redtop pollen Willow, black Sallow, Willow
  Latex Pigweed pigweed Mix
  Fescue meadow pollen Housedust Housedust
  Ox-eye-daisy Cottonwood East Pine
  Alder pollen   Ox-eye-daisy
  Sheep epithelia   Sweet vernal grass
  Lilac pollen   Reed
  Tyrophagus putrescentiae   Poplar Mix
      Candida albicans
      Acarus siro
Food allergens contained in common Milk (Cow), Egg-whole, Crab, Shrimp, Peach, Mixed nut, Cheese, Cod, Pork, Wheat grain, Soybean, Tuna, Salmon, Chicken, Rice, Barley grain, Beef, Buckwheat meal, Garlic
Food allergens contained in each reagent Onion Orange Onion
  Citrus Mix   Citrus Mix
  Tomato   Tomato
  Potato    
  Cacao (Chocolate)    
  Mackerel    

Thrity-seven allergens included in common in three multiple allergen simultaneous tests and skin prick test.

Abbreviations: D. pterony, Dermatophagoides pteronyssiunus; D. farinae, Dermatophagoides farinae; R. Thistle, Russian thistle.

Table 3.
Positive rate of each allergen specific IgE detected by multiple allergen simultaneous tests and skin prick test
Type of allergen No. (%) of positive reactions in
Polycheck Allergy MAST CLA Allergy Screen Skin prick test
Milk (n=99) 6 (6.1) 7 (7.1) 26 (26.3) 1 (1.0)
Egg White (n=99) 4 (4.0) 11 (11.1) 4 (4.0) 0 (0.0)
Crab (n=59) 2 (3.4) 6 (10.2) 4 (6.8) 2 (3.4)
Shrimp (n=59) 2 (3.4) 5 (8.5)' 2 (3.4) 3 (5.1)
Peach (n=59) 3 (5.1) 3 (5.1) 1 (1.7) 0 (0.0)
D. pterony (n=100) 82 (82.0) 78 (78.0) 82 (82.0) 85 (85.0)
D. farinae (n=100) 86 (86.0) 87 (87.0) 80 (80.0) 84 (84.0)
Cockroach mix 11 (11.0) 7 (7.0) 8 (8.0) 2 (2.0)
(n=100)        
Dog (n=100) 23 (23.0) 13 (13.0) 28 (28.0) 8 (8.0)
Cat (n=100) 28 (28.0) 10 (10.0) 14 (14.0) 12 (12.0)
Alternaria (n=99) 11 (11.1) 1 (1.0) 25 (25.3) 6 (6.1)
Birch (n=99) 18 (18.2) 4 (4.0) 23 (23.2) 10 (10.1)
Ragweed (n=95) 3 (3.2) 2 (2.1) 12 (12.9) 1 (1.1)
Mugwort (n=99) 3 (3.0) 11 (11.1) 4 (4.0) 6 (6.1)
Cultivated Rye (n=95) 3 (3.2) 2 (2.1) 5 (5.3) 0 (0.0)
Timothy grass (n=88) 3 (3.4) 2 (2.3) 14 (15.9) 0 (0.0)
Russian Thistle (n=40) 7 (17.5) 2 (5.0) 8 (20.0) 0 (0.0)
Ash mix (n=92) 0 (0.0) 2 (2.2) 4 (4.3) 1 (1.1)
Acacia (n=40) 0 (0.0) 1 (2.5) 4 (10.0) 0 (0.0)
Hazelnut (n=92) 16 (17.4) 3 (3.3) 7 (7.6) 7 (7.6)
Oak, White (n=93) 2 (2.2) 3 (3.2) 13 (14.0) 9 (9.7)
Cocksfoot (n=88) 1 (1.1) 2 (2.3) 6 (6.8) 0 (0.0)
Aspergillus (n=95) 5 (5.3) 1 (1.1) 4 (4.2) 0 (0.0)
Cladosporium (n=95) 2 (2.1) 0 (0.0) 19 (20.0) 0 (0.0)
Penicillium (n=66) 2 (3.0) 0 (0.0) 14 (21.2) 0 (0.0)

Abbreviations: See Table 2.

Table 4.
Agreement of each multiple allergen simultaneous test with skin prick test
Type of allergen Agreement (%)
Polycheck Allergy MAST CLA Allergy Screen
Milk (n=99) 92.9 91.9 72.7
Egg White (n=99) 96.0 88.9 96.0
Crab (n=59) 100.0 93.2 96.6
Shrimp (n=59) 94.9 89.8 94.9
Peach (n=59) 94.9 94.9 98.3
D. pterony (n=100) 95.0 93.0 97.0
D. farinae (n=100) 95.0 97.0 94.0
Cockroach mix (n=100) 87.0 91.0 92.0
Dog (n=100) 79.0 93.0 78.0
Cat (n=100) 84.0 98.0 92.0
Alternaria (n=99) 92.9 92.9 80.8
Birch (n=99) 89.9 93.9 84.8
Ragweed (n=95) 95.8 96.8 86.3
Mugwort (n=99) 97.0 90.9 96.0
Cultivated Rye (n=95) 96.8 97.9 94.7
Timothy grass (n=88) 96.6 97.7 84.1
R. Thistle (n=40) 82.5 95.0 80.0
Ash mix (n=92) 98.9 96.7 94.6
Acacia (n=40) 100.0 97.5 90.0
Hazelnut (n=92) 90.2 95.7 91.2
Oak, White (n=93) 92.5 91.4 89.1
Cocksfoot (n=88) 98.9 97.7 93.2
Aspergillus (n=95) 94.7 98.9 95.8
Cladosporium (n=95) 97.9 100.0 80.0
Penicillium (n=66) 97.0 100.0 78.8
Mean 93.6 94.9 89.2

Abbreviations: See Table 2.

Table 5.
Sensitivity and specificity of each multiple allergen simultaneous test compared with skin prick test
Allergen Polycheck Allergy MAST CLA Allergy Screen
Sensitivity Specificity Sensitivity Specificity Sensitivity Specificity
Milk (n=99) 0.0 (0/1) 93.9 (92/98) 0.0 (0/1) 92.9 (91/98) 0.0 (0/1) 73.5 (72/98)
Egg White (n=99) - (0/0) 96.0 (95/99) - (0/0) 88.9 (88/99) - (0/0) 96.0 (95/99)
Crab (n=59) 100.0 (2/2) 100.0 (57/57) 100.0 (2/2) 93.0 (53/57) 100.0 (2/2) 96.5 (55/57)
Shrimp (n=59) 33.3 (1/3) 98.2 (55/56) 33.3 (1/3) 92.9 (52/56) 33.3 (1/3) 98.2 (55/56)
Peach (n=59) - (0/0) 94.9 (56/59) - (0/0) 94.9 (56/59) - (0/0) 98.3 (58/59)
D. pterony (n=100) 95.3 (81/85) 93.3 (14/15) 91.8 (78/85) 100.0 (15/15) 96.5 (82/85) 100.0 (15/15)
D. farinae (n=100) 97.6 (82/84) 75.0 (13/16) 100.0 (84/84) 81.3 (13/16) 94.0 (79/84) 93.8 (15/16)
Cockroach mix (n=100) 0.0 (0/2) 88.8 (87/98) 0.0 (0/2) 92.9 (91/98) 50.0 (1/2) 92.9 (91/98)
Dog (n=100) 62.5 (5/8) 80.4 (74/92) 87.5 (7/8) 93.5 (86/92) 87.5 (7/8) 77.2 (71/92)
Cat (n=100) 100.0 (12/12) 81.8 (72/88) 83.3 (10/12) 100.0 (88/88) 75.0 (9/12) 94.3 (83/88)
Alternaria (n=99) 83.3 (5/6) 93.5 (87/93) 0.0 (0/6) 98.9 (92/93) 100.0 (6/6) 79.6 (74/93)
Birch (n=99) 90.0 (9/10) 89.9 (80/89) 40.0 (4/10) 100.0 (89/89) 90.0 (9/10) 84.3 (75/89)
Ragweed (n=95) 0.0 (0/1) 96.8 (91/94) 0.0 (0/1) 97.9 (92/94) 0.0 (0/1) 87.2 (82/94)
Mugwort (n=99) 50.0 (3/6) 100.0 (93/93) 66.7 (4/6) 92.5 (86/93) 50.0 (3/6) 98.9 (92/93)
Cultivated Rye (n=95) - (0/0) 96.8 (92/95) - (0/0) 97.9 (93/95) - (0/0) 94.7 (90/95)
Timothy grass (n=88) - (0/0) 96.6 (85/88) - (0/0) 97.7 (86/88) - (0/0) 84.1 (74/88)
R. Thistle (n=40) - (0/0) 82.5 (33/40) - (0/0) 95.0 (38/40) - (0/0) 80.0 (32/40)
Ash mix (n=92) 0.0 (0/1) 100.0 (91/91) 0.0 (0/1) 97.8 (89/91) 0.0 (0/1) 95.6 (87/91)
Acacia (n=40) - (0/0) 100.0 (40/40) 42.9 (3/7) 97.5 (39/40) - (0/0) 90.0 (36/40)
Hazelnut (n=92) 100.0 (7/7) 89.4 (76/85) 22.2 (2/9) 100.0 (85/85) 42.9 (3/7) 95.2 (80/84)
Oak, White (n=93) 22.2 (2/9) 100.0 (84/84) - (0/0) 98.8 (83/84) 66.7 (6/9) 91.6 (76/83)
Cocksfoot (n=88) - (0/0) 98.9 (87/88) - (0/0) 97.7 (86/88) - (0/0) 93.2 (82/88)
Aspergillus (n=95) - (0/0) 94.7 (90/95) - (0/0) 98.9 (94/95) - (0/0) 95.8 (91/95)
Cladosporium (n=95) - (0/0) 97.9 (93/95) - (0/0) 100.0 (95/95) - (0/0) 80.0 (76/95)
Penicillium (n=66) - (0/0) 97.0 (64/66) - (0/0) 100.0 (66/66) - (0/0) 78.8 (52/66)
Mean 55.6 93.5 44.5 96.0 59.1 90.0

% (no. of positive results/no. tested).

Abbreviations: See Table 2.

Table 6.
The receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis of three multiple allergen simultaneous tests
Allergen AUC (95% CI) P value
Polycheck Allergy MAST CLA Allergy Screen
Milk (n=99) - - - -
Egg White (n=99) - - - -
Crab (n=59) 1.00 (1.00-1.00) 0.99 (0.97-1.00) 1.00 (0.98-1.00) 0.47
Shrimp (n=59) 0.66 (0.33-0.99) 0.64 (0.29-0.99) 0.66 (0.33-0.99) 0.083
Peach (n=59) - - - -
D. pterony (n=100) 0.97 (0.95-1.00) 0.96 (0.93-0.99) 0.98 (0.96-1.00) 0.092
D. farinae (n=100) 0.98 (0.96-1.00) 1.00 (1.00-1.00) 0.96 (0.93-0.99) 0.015
Cockroach mix (n=100) 0.44 (0.41-0.48) 0.46 (0.44-0.49) 0.70 (0.24-1.00) 0.31
Dog (n=100) 0.73 (0.54-0.92) 0.91 (0.78-1.00) 0.84 (0.69-0.98) 0.11
Cat (n=100) 0.96 (0.93-1.00) 0.92 (0.81-1.00) 0.86 (0.73-0.99) 0.20
Alternaria (n=99) 0.88 (0.71-1.00) 0.49 (0.48-0.51) 0.98 (0.96-1.00) <0.001
Birch (n=99) 0.93 (0.83-1.00) 0.70 (0.54-0.86) 0.93 (0.82-1.00) 0.0075
Ragweed (n=95) - - - -
Mugwort (n=99) 0.75 (0.53-0.97) 0.81 (0.59-1.00) 0.75 (0.53-0.97) 0.51
Cultivated Rye (n=95) - - - -
Timothy grass (n=88) - - - -
R. Thistle (n=40) - - - -
Ash mix (n=92) - - - -
Acacia (n=40) - - - -
Hazelnut (n=92) 0.98 (0.95-1.00) 0.71 (0.52-0.91) 0.69 (0.49-0.89) 0.0021
Oak, White (n=93) 0.61 (0.47-0.76) 0.61 (0.46-0.75) 0.79 (0.62-0.95) 0.061
Orch (Cockft) (n=88) - - - -
Aspergillus (n=95) - - - -
Cladosporium (n=95) 0.99 (0.97-1.00) - - -
Penicillium (n=66) 0.64 (0.29-0.99) - - -
Inhalants, total 0.94 (0.91-0.96) 0.91 (0.89-0.94) 0.92 (0.90-0.94) 0.094
Food allergens, total 0.74 (0.51-0.97) 0.72 (0.48-0.96) 0.71 (0.48-0.94) <0.001

Significant difference among Polycheck Allergy, Allergy Screen and MAST CLA based on Benjamini and Hochberg method.

Alternaria: Polycheck Allergy vs MAST CLA, P<0.001; MAST CLA vs Allergy Screen, P<0.001; Polycheck Allergy vs Allergy Screen, P=0.18.

Hazelnut: Polycheck Allergy vs MAST CLA, P=0.0065; MAST CLA vs Allergy Screen, P=0.81; Polycheck Allergy vs Allergy Screen, P=0.0024.

Food allergens, total: Polycheck Allergy vs MAST CLA, P=0.042; MAST CLA vs Allergy Screen, P=0.33; Polycheck Allergy vs Allergy Screen, P<0.001.

Abbreviations: AUC, area under the curve; See Table 2.

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