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Prevention of assay interference in infectious-disease serology tests done on the liaison platform

Mario Berth1, Eugene Bosmans

  • 1Algemeen Medisch Laboratorium, Immunology Department, Desguinlei 88, 2018 Antwerpen, Belgium. mario.berth@aml-lab.be

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology : CVI
|March 14, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Immunoassay interference can cause false positive results in magnetic-microparticle assays. Chemical blocking agents like polyvinylpyrrolidone partially reduced this interference in Epstein-Barr virus immunoglobulin M testing.

Area of Science:

  • Clinical Chemistry
  • Immunology
  • Biotechnology

Background:

  • Immunoassays are crucial diagnostic tools.
  • Magnetic-microparticle-based assays are widely used.
  • Assay interference can lead to inaccurate results.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate immunoassay interference in magnetic-microparticle-based assays.
  • To quantify the impact of interference on Epstein-Barr virus immunoglobulin M (EBV IgM) testing.
  • To evaluate methods for mitigating assay interference.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic evaluation of the Liaison Epstein-Barr virus immunoglobulin M assay.
  • Analysis of unexpected reactive results.
  • Testing the efficacy of chemical blocking reagents (polyvinylpyrrolidone, polyvinyl alcohol).

Main Results:

  • Immunoassay interference was detected, causing unexpected reactive results.
  • 5% of positive EBV IgM results (0.4% of all samples) were attributed to interference.
  • Adding polyvinylpyrrolidone and polyvinyl alcohol partially prevented the interference.

Conclusions:

  • Assay interference is a significant issue in magnetic-microparticle-based immunoassays.
  • Interference can lead to false positive diagnoses, as seen in EBV IgM testing.
  • Chemical blocking reagents show potential in reducing immunoassay interference.

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