Asia Pac Allergy.  2012 Jul;2(3):195-202. 10.5415/apallergy.2012.2.3.195.

Measurement of Hymenoptera venom specific IgE by the IMMULITE 3gAllergy in subjects with negative or positive results by ImmunoCAP

• Watanabe M
• Hirata H
• Arima M
• Hayashi Y
• Chibana K
• Yoshida N
• Ikeno Y
• Fukushima
• Komura R
• Okazaki K
• Sugiyama K
• Fukuda T

• KMID: 2397482
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5415/apallergy.2012.2.3.195

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Patients may receive negative results from a specific IgE (sIgE) test such as the ImmunoCAP (CAP) despite a documented history of systemic reaction to a Hymenoptera sting. Thus, further testing may be required using another serological method or venom skin prick tests to confirm allergy diagnosis and correct species.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the sensitivity and the specificity of CAP and IMMULITE 3gAllergy (IMMULITE) for detecting sIgE to Paper wasp (WA) and Yellow Jacket (YJ) venoms using patient clinical history as the comparator.
METHODS
Sera from 70 participants with a history of systemic reactions (SR) to WA and/or YJ stings were tested using CAP and IMMULITE. Fifty participants from this group had negative results on CAP. To assess specificity, sera from 71 participants who had never experienced either a WA or YJ sting were tested using CAP and IMMULITE. Fifty participants from this group tested positive using CAP.
RESULTS
In participants with a history of systemic reaction to a Hymenoptera sting, yet who tested negative for WA and/or YJ sIgE according to CAP, the positivity rate according to IMMULITE was 20-42% using 0.10 IUA/mL as the limit of detection (LoD), per the manufacturer's specification. When the LoD for CAP (0.35 IUA/mL) was applied to the IMMULITE results, positivity according to IMMULITE was 14-26%. Overall, sensitivity, specificity, and agreement with SR were greater for IMMULITE than for CAP. For YJ: sensitivity (IMMULITE:CAP), 42.8%:28.5%; specificity, 53.5%:39.4%; agreement, 48.2%:34%. For WA, sensitivity (IMMULITE:CAP), 58.6%:28.5%; specificity, 49.3%:47.8%; agreement, 43.9%:38.3%.
CONCLUSION
The IMMULITE performed well for detecting sIgE to Hymenoptera venom

Keyword

Allergy; IMMULITE; ImmunoCAP; Sensitivity; Specificity; Venom specific IgE

MeSH Terms

Bites and Stings
Diagnosis
Humans
Hymenoptera*
Hypersensitivity
Immunoglobulin E*
Limit of Detection
Methods
Sensitivity and Specificity
Skin
Venoms*
Wasps
Immunoglobulin E
Venoms