| abstract |
One can predict the likelihood a child will outgrow an allergy, especially a food allergy, by screening for IgE antibodies immunoreactivities with linear versus conformational epitopes. The child is first screened using standard techniques to determine what antigens the child is allergic to. The immunoglobulins in the sample from the patient are then characterised either using the natural purified antigen, recombinant antigen, reduced and alkylated antigen, proteolytic fragments of the antigen or synthetic peptides of between 4 and 40 amino acids in length, which can be immobilised for rapid and accurate screening. The antibodies from the patient are reacted with the protein or peptides to determine which peptides are bound by the antibodies. These antibodies are then characterised to determine if the epitopes they bind are linear or conformational. Those patients having antibodies primarily reactive with conformational epitopes will typically outgrow their allergies. A similar method for evaluation of IgG antibodies can be used to predict the prognosis of certain inflammatory disorders. |