The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology
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J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. · Jun 2008
ReviewPotential, pitfalls, and prospects of food allergy diagnostics with recombinant allergens or synthetic sequential epitopes.
This article aims to critically review developments in food allergy diagnostics with regard to the verification of specific IgE antibodies and the identification of the responsible allergens. Results of IgE-binding tests with food extracts are hampered by cross-reactive proteins, low-quality test agents, or both. Specificity can be increased by defining adequate cutoff values, whereas sensitivity can be improved by using high-quality test agents. ⋯ Novel technologies promise superior diagnostics. Microarray technology permits simultaneous measurement of multiple IgE reactivities regarding specificity, abundance, reactivity, or interaction. Improved functional tests might enable reliable estimation of the clinical relevance of IgE sensitizations at justifiable expenses.