New Antibody Assay Accurately Diagnoses Celiac Disease in Less than 10 Minutes

Lancet 2002;359:945-946.

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Celiac.com 04/12/2002 - According to a report published in the March 16th issue of The Lancet, a new anti-transglutaminase antibody test developed by Dr. Luis Sorell and colleagues from the Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Havana, Cuba can accurately diagnose people with celiac disease in less than 10 minutes. The assay consists of a nitrocellulose strip that is placed in serum or plasma specimens, and it detects both IgA and IgG antibodies to transglutaminase, which prevents misdiagnosis of patients who have IgA deficiency, a trait that is frequently seen in people with celiac disease. If two dots appear it indicates a positive result. To determine the assays accuracy Dr. Sorell and colleagues evaluated 50 patients with untreated celiac disease along with 40 patients who had other gastrointestinal disorders. The results showed that the assay was 100% accurate, all of the patients with diagnosed celiac disease tested positive, and all of the patients with other disorders tested negative. Ultimately the assay could be used for an inexpensive mass-screening program for celiac disease.