A Modified Crossed Radioimmunoelectrophoretic Method for Determination of Allergen-Specific IgG Antibodies

A crossed radioimmunoelectrophoretic (CRIE) method for detection of specific IgG antibodies in patients' sera against horse hair and dander was developed. The unacceptably high non-specific binding encountered when substituting 125I-labelled antihuman IgG for 125I-labelled antihuman IgE in an ordinary CRIE was eliminated by the combined use of 125I-labelled Protein A as detector, and F(ab')2-fragments of the allergen-specific rabbit antibodies. The low background binding thus obtained makes the method useful for detection of specific IgG in sera where the ratio between specific and non-specific IgG is low. Therefore the method should also be applicable to other antigen/allergen systems.