ACETYLCHOLINESTERASE-BASED ELISA FOR THE DETERMINATION OF ANTIGEN-SPECIFIC RAT IGE

An ELISA has been developed for the detection of low levels of antigen -specific rat IgE. The assay, which utilizes acetylcholinesterase as t he tracer enzyme, demonstrates improved sensitivity when compared with more traditional ELISA enzymes, such as horseradish peroxidase. A fur ther aspect of the improved detection level is that it permits the use of low quantities of serum in the assay. The increase in sensitivity will also allow investigations into the epitope specificity of IgE ant ibodies to be performed.