The fluoroallergosorbent test: a comparison with rast and skin test in respiratory allergy

Specific IgE antibodies to common inhalant allergen were measured in ten healthy and 82 rhinitic or asthmatic subjects by both FAST and RAST. Significant correlations were found between FAST and RAST results for grass, Parietaria, Dermatophagoides, and cat dandruff. For these allergens the agreement between FAST and prick test was similar to that between RAST and prick test. In contrast to RAST and/or prick test, for Tag alder and birch allergens, the FAST apparently gave false negative results. In conclusion, FAST seems to be a promising technique for in vitro measurement of specific IgE against most inhalant allergens but some improvement is still necessary in standardizing allergens for this assay.