F30 Coeliac disease is a treatable cause of chronic diarrhoea and failure to thrive and is not restricted to developed countries. In this study patients suspected of having coeliac disease who presented to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, were investigated using antibody screening tests (ELISA - IgA/IgG anti-gliadin antibody [AGA]. Immunofluorescence (for IgA) endomesial antibody [EMA] using monkey oesophagus [MO] and human umbilicus (HU), & antireticulin antibody [ARA] in small intestinal biopsy. Thirty four cases 23M:11F, median age 6 years, range 2 - 12) were studied over a 13 month period. 16 were EMA +ve using MO of which 15 (94%) were +ve on HU; -ve results were identical using either tissue. For these 16 cases- 14 (88%) were ARA +ve. IgA and IgG AGA were +ve in 12 (75%) and 13(81%) respectively. Of the 18 -ve EMA cases 1 was IgA and 2 were IgG AGA +ve, none were ARA +ve. Taking, the MO EMA as the gold standard the sensitivity/specificity of the other tests were 75%/94% for IgA AGA. 81%/89% for IgG AGA. 94% for HU EMA, and 88%/100% for ARA. Small intestinal biopsies were available in 17/34 cases of which 8 appeared typical for coeliac disease (2 were -ve for all antibody tests. 6 were EMA +ve. 4 IgA and 5 IgG AGA +ve) and 9 were normal or mildly abnormal(all EMA -ve. 1 IgA-AGA +ve, and 1 IgG AGA +ve). Thus, EMA using MO or HU appears to be a useful screening test for coeliac disease in Indian children. IgA and IgG AGA, although simple to use as an ELISA test, are not as sensitive as EMA. EMA opens the way for screening sections of the population who may otherwise not present to a paediatric gastroenterologist.