Specific IgE measurement using AdvanSure® system: Comparison of detection performance with ImmunoCAP® system in Korean allergy patients

Background: AdvanSure enzyme immunoassay (EIA) system is a recently developed multiple allergen screen test with specific immunoglobulin E (sIgE) detection assay, while ImmunoCAP fluorescent EIA (FEIA) has been widely used for sIgE detection. There has been no inter-assay comparison data for these two systems. We determined the detection performance of AdvanSure system compared to that of ImmunoCAP. Methods: We performed an inter-method comparison using sera from 199 Korean allergy patients, including asthma (39.7%), allergic rhinitis (54.8%), atopic dermatitis (36.2%) and food allergies (21.6%). We compared the sIgE detection performance for nine major inhalant and four food allergens. Results: 950 paired assay results were analyzed. Most allergen sIgE results showed above 0.5 intraclass correlation coefficient except Blattella germanica, alternaria and mugwort allergen. Intermethod comparison results showed multiple differences in a few allergens. The inter-method concordance was moderate to substantial for most allergens (κ = 0.528-0.778, p< 0.001), except for cat dander. Conclusion: AdvanSure system showed a good detection performance compared with ImmunoCAP in correlation and agreement in Korean allergy patients. However, in terms of differences in the methodologies used by these two systems, careful clinical correlation is needed for interpretation of AdvanSure EIA results.