The memory lymphocyte immunostimulation assay in immune system disorders: Is useful or useless?

Area of Science:

• Immunology
• Toxicology
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA) can occur post-vaccination.
• Metal hypersensitivity is a potential contributing factor in ASIA.
• The Memory Lymphocyte ImmunoStimulation Assay (MELISA®) is an in vitro blood test designed to detect immune responses to specific substances.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the clinical relevance, sensitivity, and specificity of the MELISA® test.
• To evaluate MELISA®'s utility in identifying metal hypersensitivity in genetically predisposed patients with ASIA post-HPV vaccination.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive study included sixteen girls (aged 12-24 years) with somatoform symptoms post-HPV vaccination.
• Hypersensitivity to aluminum, nickel, mercury, methyl mercury, and thimerosal was measured using the MELISA® test.

Main Results:

• Seven out of sixteen girls tested negative for all five metals.
• Metal hypersensitivity was identified in nine patients: aluminum (2), nickel (7), and mercury (7).

Conclusions:

• The MELISA® assay demonstrated low sensitivity and specificity for detecting metal hypersensitivity.
• The study concluded that MELISA® is not clinically relevant for diagnosing metal hypersensitivity in patients with autoimmune pathologies like ASIA.