title: Evaluation of a Novel Rapid Test System for the Detection of Specific IgE to Hymenoptera Venoms.
abstract: Background. The Allergy Lateral Flow Assay (ALFA) is a novel rapid assay for the detection of sIgE to allergens. The objective of this study is the evaluation of ALFA for the detection of sIgE to bee venom (BV) and wasp venom (WV) in insect venom allergic patients. Methods. Specific IgE to BV and WV was analyzed by ALFA, ALLERG-O-LIQ, and ImmunoCAP in 80 insect venom allergic patients and 60 control sera. Sensitivity and specificity of ALFA and correlation of ALFA and ImmunoCAP results were calculated. Results. The sensitivity/specificity of ALFA to the diagnosis was 100%/83% for BV and 82%/97% for WV. For insect venom allergic patients, the Spearman correlation coefficient for ALFA versus ImmunoCAP was 0.79 for BV and 0.80 for WV. However, significant differences in the negative control groups were observed. Conclusion. ALFA represents a simple, robust, and reliable tool for the rapid detection of sIgE to insect venoms.
authors.affiliation: Allergy Research Group, Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Hauptstraße 7, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Nikolai
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pfender
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lucassen
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Offermann
authors.forename: Johannes
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schulte-Pelkum
authors.forename: Margrit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fooke
authors.forename: Thilo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jakob