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To the Editor:We appreciate the correspondence from Dr Saper,1Saper V. Moderately complex US Food and Drug Administration-cleared method for human IgE antibody serology.J Allergy Clinical Immunol. 2011; 127: 547Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar which allows us to correct an oversight in our original article.2Hamilton R.G. Williams P.B. Human IgE antibody serology: a primer for the practicing North American allergist/immunologist.J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010; 126: 33-38Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (64) Google Scholar As a consultant to Hitachi Chemical Diagnostics, Dr Saper correctly reminds us that the Hitachi CLA Allergy test (Hitachi Chemical Diagnostics, Mountain View, Calif; formally Mast ImmunoSystems) is a moderately complex assay that was originally introduced by MAST Immunosystems in 1983. It is a laboratory-based screening test that measures IgE antibody to a panel of allergens. Serum is drawn into the pipette device, and IgE antibody, if present, binds to allergen immobilized on threads and then is detected with labeled anti-IgE. Because it is an established semiquantitative screening assay that requires performance in the laboratory, it along with the Thabest IgE test (Molecular Medicine Inc, Denville, NJ) was not overviewed within the context of the article, which focused primarily on quantitative assays. There was, however, no intent to exclude any technology, and thus for completeness, both the CLA Allergy Test and the Thabest IgE Test should have been mentioned as a counterpoint to the ImmunoCAP Rapid (Phadia, Uppsala, Sweden). One strength of the CLA Allergy Test over the current ImmunoCAP Rapid is the availability of IgE antibody measurements to a greater number of allergen specificities. The ImmunoCAP Rapid, however, was singled out in this article because it is the first assay that involves the use of a finger prick sample of blood and a reader that can be used by a non–laboratory-trained individual. As such, it has been positioned as a technology that can be performed by unskilled employees in a primary health care office or a patient’s home. This contrasts with the CLA Allergy test and Thabest IgE Test, which both require performance in a clinical laboratory. We thank Dr Saper for expanding the focus of our article to ensure mention of all the semiquantitative IgE antibody assays used in North America. To the Editor: We appreciate the correspondence from Dr Saper,1Saper V. Moderately complex US Food and Drug Administration-cleared method for human IgE antibody serology.J Allergy Clinical Immunol. 2011; 127: 547Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (1) Google Scholar which allows us to correct an oversight in our original article.2Hamilton R.G. Williams P.B. Human IgE antibody serology: a primer for the practicing North American allergist/immunologist.J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2010; 126: 33-38Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (64) Google Scholar As a consultant to Hitachi Chemical Diagnostics, Dr Saper correctly reminds us that the Hitachi CLA Allergy test (Hitachi Chemical Diagnostics, Mountain View, Calif; formally Mast ImmunoSystems) is a moderately complex assay that was originally introduced by MAST Immunosystems in 1983. It is a laboratory-based screening test that measures IgE antibody to a panel of allergens. Serum is drawn into the pipette device, and IgE antibody, if present, binds to allergen immobilized on threads and then is detected with labeled anti-IgE. Because it is an established semiquantitative screening assay that requires performance in the laboratory, it along with the Thabest IgE test (Molecular Medicine Inc, Denville, NJ) was not overviewed within the context of the article, which focused primarily on quantitative assays. There was, however, no intent to exclude any technology, and thus for completeness, both the CLA Allergy Test and the Thabest IgE Test should have been mentioned as a counterpoint to the ImmunoCAP Rapid (Phadia, Uppsala, Sweden). One strength of the CLA Allergy Test over the current ImmunoCAP Rapid is the availability of IgE antibody measurements to a greater number of allergen specificities. The ImmunoCAP Rapid, however, was singled out in this article because it is the first assay that involves the use of a finger prick sample of blood and a reader that can be used by a non–laboratory-trained individual. As such, it has been positioned as a technology that can be performed by unskilled employees in a primary health care office or a patient’s home. This contrasts with the CLA Allergy test and Thabest IgE Test, which both require performance in a clinical laboratory. We thank Dr Saper for expanding the focus of our article to ensure mention of all the semiquantitative IgE antibody assays used in North America. Moderately complex US Food and Drug Administration–cleared method for human IgE antibody serologyJournal of Allergy and Clinical ImmunologyVol. 127Issue 2PreviewTo the Editor: Full-Text PDF