title: Sensitivity of indirect immunofluorescence test in the diagnosis of pemphigus.
abstract: Indirect immunofluorescence testing of sera from patients with pemphigus produces a positive intercellular staining on a variety of epithelial substrates with different sensitivity. We aimed to determine the sensitivity of indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) test in detecting pemphigus antibodies, using two different substrates: guinea pig lip and human skin. IIF detected antibodies in 66 out of 109 patients with different types of pemphigus. Sensitivity of IIF performed with guinea pig lip was 40%, while with human skin it increased to 69%. However, we found that neither human skin nor guinea pig lip was sensitive enough to make an IIF test reliable for the diagnosis of pemphigus.
authors.affiliation: Derpartment of Dermatology and Venerology Zagreb Universitiy Hospital Center, Salata 4, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia. ina.lakos@inet.hr
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lakos Jukić
authors.forename: Branka
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Marinović
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006801:Humans; D010392:Pemphigus / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012867:Skin / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies