Alternaria Alternata IgE

Test Code
ALTERN

CPT Codes
86003

Specimen Container
SST

Preferred Specimen
0.3 mL serum (0.15 mL minimum)

Instructions
Centrifuge and transfer serum specimens to clean, plastic, screw-capped vial(s).

Transport Temperature
Room temperature, stable 2 weeks

Methodology
Immunoassay

Clinical Use
This procedure is based on a fluorescent enzyme immunoassay (FEIA) technique. The allergen of interest, covalently coupled to an ImmunoCap, reacts with the specific IgE in the patient’s serum. After washing away nonspecific IgE, enzyme-labeled antibodies against IgE are added to form a complex. After incubation, unbound enzyme anti-IgE is washed away and the bound complex is then incubated with a developing agent. After the reaction is stopped, the fluorescence of the eluate is measured. The higher the fluorescence value, the more specific IgE is present in the specimen. To classify test results, fluorescence for patient samples is compared directly with fluorescence for a reference serum run in parallel. Results are reported in both kU/L and Conventional Class score.