title: A qualitative agar gel immunoprecipitin (IP) test for detection of fecal occult human hemoglobin.
abstract: A versatile, qualitative, agarose gel immunoprecipitation (IP) test for the detection of fecal occult hemoglobin (Hb) was developed to provide a more accurate method for the detection of occult blood in stool. This test allowed detection of 0.2 mg human hemoglobin/g of stool after a 2-h incubation. In addition, a specimen application device which can accommodate a variety of specimens was developed for this test. A study of 252 clinical stool specimens revealed a close correlation in the results obtained at three separate laboratories. The IP test identified blood in 11 out of 24 specimens collected from patients with colorectal carcinoma as compared to 4 of 24 specimens positive with a guaiac-based Hemoccult II test. The simplicity of immunoprecipitation coupled with the high sensitivity and specificity of this technique suggests that this new test would be a very useful and effective means with which to screen for occult blood in stool.
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000362:Agar; D011232:Chemical Precipitation; D005189:False Positive Reactions; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D005779:Immunodiffusion; D007158:Immunologic Techniques; D008722:Methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D009780:Occult Blood
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D000362:Agar