STEPLESS ANTIBODY DETERMINATION WITH THE STICK-ELISA TECHNIQUE - RESULTS EXPRESSED AS MULTIPLE OF NORMAL ACTIVITY (MONA)

Abstract

Results of [human] antibody [Ab] determination with ELISA (enzyme-linked immunospecific assay) can be expressed as the multiple of normal activity (MONA) contained in a normal serum pool, assessed by an internal standard. The procedure combines the advantage of stepless titration, inherent in the method of ELISA, with the opportunity to provide the clinician with an imaginable Ab result. Independent of ELISA, with the evolution of serology as an aid for the diagnosis of parasitic [e.g., Toxoplasma gondii, Echinococcus multilocularis] disease, the clinician is faced with an evergrowing variety of normal Ab titers caused partly by different sensitivities of the methods and techniques employed. To preclude these differences, determination of MONA is suggested.