[Islet cell surface autoantibodies: their immunoenzyme analysis using rat target cells]

A hard phase immunoenzymatic system for primary screening and subsequent quantitative determination of autoimmunobodies to the surface of islet cells (ASIC) was worked out using rat target cells. ASIC organ-specificity was confirmed by the absence of crossreactions with rat hepatocytes and splenocytes. The determination of the upper normal bound with 99% confidence interval combined with a high sensitivity of the method allowed an objective and significant assertainment of ASIC-positive sera even with a low level of antibodies. ASIC quantitative characteristic is their titer determined with the help of the intersection of a titration curve with the upper normal bound. ASIC were detected approximately in half of the patients with insulin-dependent diabetes of a duration of maximum 5 years and were not detected in the patients with insulin-dependent diabetes compensated with diet and sugar lowering drugs using the above method.