Anti-endomysium antibody on human umbilical cord vein tissue: an inexpensive and sensitive diagnostic tool for the screening of coeliac disease

Anti-endomysium antibody (AEA) was evaluated in 136 subjects by indirect immunofluorescence using both cryosections of monkey oesophagus (MO) and the human umbilical cord vein (HUCV) as substrate. This human tissue gave results comparable to those of MO. In particular, the HUCV sections showed positive results in all 22 newly diagnosed cases of coeliac disease. Compared to the MO sections, the sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive values of HUCV tissue was 100%. Conclusion HUCV tissue can replace MO for AEA detection and can make the screening for coeliac disease easier both in at-risk and in normal populations, with a remarkable saving, both in terms of money and of monkeys. Received: 15 October 1996 and in revised form: 18 February 1997 / Accepted: 4 March 1997