Evaluation of a particle-enhanced turbidimetric immunoassay for the measurement of immunoglobulin E in an ILab 900 analyzer.
BACKGROUND
The measurement of immunoglobulin E (IgE) in serum is widely used in the diagnosis of allergic reactions and parasitic infections. We describe here a fully automated assay for human IgE suitable for routine application in a general chemistry analyzer.


METHODS
We used an ILab 900 analyzer. This instrument automates a particle-enhanced immunoturbidimetric assay with an analysis time of 9 min.


RESULTS
The assay was linear in the range 4-1000 kIU/L (r = 0.9998). The intra- and interassay CVs at 57, 235, and 434 kIU/L were <3.5% and <7.4%, respectively. The detection limit was 4 kIU/L. Hemoglobin (</=16 g/L), bilirubin (</=250 micromol/L), and myeloma paraproteins did not interfere with the assay. The assay showed good correlation with a microparticle enzyme immunoassay (r = 0.998) with a mean difference between methods of -6 +/- 26 kIU/L.


CONCLUSIONS
The new automated serum assay for IgE is an attractive alternative that avoids the need for dedicated instrumentation.
Guaita
S
S
Centre de Recerca Biomèdica, Hospital Universitari de Sant Joan, Carrer Sant Joan s/n, 43201-Reus, Catalunya, Spain.
Simó
J M
JM
Ferré
N
N
Joven
J
J
Camps
J
J
D001322:Autoanalysis; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay / Q000379:methods; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000097:blood*; D009391:Nephelometry and Turbidimetry; D010265:Paraproteinemias / Q000097:blood
D007073:Immunoglobulin E