IgE antibodies to food allergens detected by ELISA, RAST and monkey PCA

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Abstract
IgE antibody to 12 common food and inhalant allergens [egg white, egg yolk, cow''s milk, mixed nuts, fish, wheat flour, coffee, maize, orange, grass pollen B2, house dust and Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus] was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in the sera of 13 atopic patients with 1 or more allergic disorders (asthma occurring in 11, rhinitis in 10, eczema in 6, urticaria in 4, mouth and gastrointestinal symptoms in 6), of 12 non-atopic patients with various clinical symptoms (asthma in 4, rhinitis in 4, eczema in 1, urticaria in 2, mouth and gastrointestinal symptoms in 4) and 16 cord blood sera. The atopic patients had significantly higher IgE ELISA values to the 12 allergens tested than non-atopic persons (P < 0.01) and cord blood sera (P < 0.001). Further investigation of IgE antibody to egg white in a group of 22 maternal-infant-paired sera using RAST [radio allergosorbent test] and ELISA techniques showed 2 cord blood sera that had reproducible RAST values significantly greater than the mean of the maternal group. This was confirmed by RAST inhibition studies but not by monkey PCA [passive cutaneous anaphylaxis] tests. High IgE ELISA values to egg white extract did not correlate with RAST results.