Humoral Immunity to Dietary Antigens in Atopic Dermatitis

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) employing a biotin-avidin amplification step are described for the quantification of human serum IgG antibodies to the dietary antigens ovalbumin (OA) and beta-lactoglobulin (BLG). The analytical quality of these assays was acceptable. Antibodies were measured in 16 patients with mild or moderate atopic dermatitis (AD), in 31 patients with a history of AD, and in closely matched controls. Levels of serum anti-OA antibodies did not differ in patients and controls, whereas anti-BLG antibodies tended to be higher in patients with mild or moderate AD than in controls (P less than 0.05).