Methods for detecting antibodies in mucosal samples and device for sampling mucosal material
View Patent ↗A method to detect local antibodies such as antigen-specific IgE via a brush biopsy specimen of a mucosal surface of a subject is disclosed. The method is easily performed in an office setting on both adult and pediatric patients. Also disclosed is a brush device specially designed for harvesting materials from a mucosal surface such as the medial surface of the inferior turbinate.
1. A method for detecting local IgE antibody molecules at a mucosal surface in a subject, comprising:
i) obtaining a brush biopsy sample from the mucosal surface; and
ii) detecting the presence of said IgE antibody molecules in said sample.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sample is obtained from a mucosal surface of an orifice, or a mucosal surface of the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts.
3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the orifice is selected from the mouth, nose or ear.
4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the sample is obtained from a mucosal surface of the throat, esophagus or stomach.
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sample is obtained from a mucosal surface of the inferior turbinate.
6. The method of claim 1 , wherein said antibody is IgE specific to an antigen.
7. The method of claim 6 , wherein said antigen is an allergen.
8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising measuring the level of IgE specific to at least one antigen.
9. The method of claim 7 , wherein the allergen is derived from one category selected from the group consisting of a plant, a microbe, a fungus, an animal, and food.
10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the allergen is a plant-derived allergen selected from the group consisting of White Oak, Timothy Grass and Ragweed.
11. The method of claim 9 , wherein the allergen is a fungus-derived allergen selected from the group consisting of genus Alternaria and genus Aspergillus.
12. The method of claim 9 , wherein the allergen is an animal-derived allergen selected from the group consisting of dog, cat, dustmite and cockroach.
13. The method of claim 9 , wherein the allergen is a food-derived allergen selected from the group consisting of milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, seafood, shellfish, soy, rice, and wheat.
14. The method of claim 1 , further comprising measuring the level of total IgE.
15. The method of claim 1 , wherein the antibody is detected by a method selected from the group consisting of a direct immunofluorescence assay, an indirect immunofluorescence assay, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and an immunoCAP assay.
16. A method to diagnose a patient for an allergy, comprising:
i) obtaining a brush biopsy sample of the inferior turbinate of a patient; and
ii) testing said sample for IgE specific for an allergen,
wherein an increased level of IgE specific for said allergen relative to a reference level in said sample indicates allergy to said allergen.
17. The method of claim 16 wherein the allergen is an allergen selected from the group comprising White Oak, Timothy grass, Ragweed, Cat dander, Dog dander, Cockroach, Alternaria, Aspergillus , and Dermatophagoides farinae.