Self-management of dietary compliance in coeliac disease by means of ELISA "home test" to detect gluten.
To improve compliance with a gluten-free diet in coeliac disease a simple prototype test kit was developed to detect gluten in foods for use at home. The test is based on monoclonal antibodies to heat-stable gluten proteins which crossreact appropriately with barley and rye proteins. It is suitable for use with a wide range of raw or cooked foods. The food is extracted with dilute hydrochloric acid and 1 drop of the extract transferred to an antibody-coated tube; enzyme-labelled gluten detection antibody is added and after 3 min the tube is washed and colour developer is added. The reaction is stopped after 2 min, stabilising the blue colour. The home kit was compared with a quantitative laboratory kit, and the qualitative agreement was very good. The kit could distinguish foods with trace gluten contents (acceptable for a "gluten-free" diet) from those with a slightly higher but unacceptable gluten content. In a trial of the prototype kit by 47 coeliac disease patients of diverse ages and educational backgrounds, 93% of tests correctly identified foods as acceptable or unacceptable.
Skerritt
J H
JH
CSIRO Wheat Research Unit, Division of Plant Industry, North Ryde, New South Wales, Australia.
Hill
A S
AS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001560:Benzidines; D002446:Celiac Disease / Q000178:diet therapy*; D002648:Child; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D005433:Flour / Q000032:analysis; D005504:Food Analysis / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D005983:Glutens / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic / Q000592:standards; D012648:Self Care / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D003313:Zea mays / Q000032:analysis
D001560:Benzidines; D011933:Reagent Kits, Diagnostic; C021758:3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine; D005983:Glutens