ABSTRACT
“Double blind” studies performed in 1988 by three laboratories using coded sera from two groups often freshly drawn blood samples from Warsaw, Poland yielded clearly interpretable results. Several different primate tissues which have been examined in research studies give positive reactions with sera that give IgA-endomysial antibodies (EmA)-type staining patterns in the above-listed diagnostic tests. The prime difference between the standardization of IgA-Antireticulin antibodies and the IgA-EmA described above is that fresh rat kidneys and liver are readily available. The reason monkey esophagus sections have been used for most of the initial evaluations of the IgA-EmA is that these antibodies were originally discovered due to their reactions on this substrate. The availability of the IgA-EmA has been further extended by demonstrating that the same results can be obtained by use of horseradish peroxidase labeling in place of fluorescein labeling of the anti-IgA antibodies. Tests for antigliadin antibodies of the IgG class afford a high sensitivity and a low specificity for the detection of gluten-sensitive enteropathy.
