Detection of Multiple Allergen-specific IgEs on Microarrays by Immunoassay with Rolling Circle Amplification

Abstract

First described in 1967, the radio allergo sorbent test (RAST) has been the standard technique for measuring allergen-specific IgE antibodies in serum ( 1). An updated version of the RAST test, termed CAP (Pharmacia), has been introduced ( 2). In clinical practice, CAP results must be interpreted with care. The diagnostic performance of CAP varies in an allergen-specific manner, and CAP scores do not always correlate with clinical severity ( 3)( 4). CAP sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values agree well with skin prick tests (SPTs) for house dust mites and grasses, but poorly with tests for cat dander and peanuts ( 5).