SPECIFIC ANTIBODY DETECTION IN HUMAN ASPERGILLOSIS - A GEMO MULTICENTER EVALUATION OF A RAPID IMMUNOELECTROPHORESIS METHOD (PARAGON(R))

A new immunoelectrophoresis system, the Paragon(R) system, was evaluat ed in three different hospital centres with the aim of improving stand ardization of the serodiagnosis of human aspergillosis. To select the most efficient antigen, various commercial and home-made antigens were first tested on 19 sera from 19 patients with highly probable aspergi llosis. The value measured using the Paragon(R) anti-Aspergillus antib ody detection system was then compared with the results obtained by co nventional serological diagnostic methods (conventional immunoelectrop horesis, enzyme linked-immunosorbent assay, indirect immunofluorescenc e): this step was performed using the first 19 sera as well as 16 othe r sera from 13 patients with suspected aspergillosis. Concordant resul ts were obtained in 28 cases. The discrepancies observed with seven se ra were probably related to differences in the nature of the antigens. Paragon(R) immunoelectrophoresis proved to be a practicable technique requiring only a small amount of serum and giving results within a sh orter time than competitive methods (24-48 h). Its major drawbacks com pared with conventional immunoelectrophoresis are some difficulties in reading, fewer precipitin lines and the relatively high cost of routi ne analysis.