Estimation of airborne rat-derived antigens by ELISA

Double antibody sandwich ELISA procedures have been devised to estimate the concentrations of airborne rat urinary and epidermal antigens. Both assays were capable of detecting at least 3 ng/ml of antigen protein. Unknown concentrations were estimated in terms of the standard, laboratory-prepared material, as calculated from the linear relationship between absorbance and log concentration. The coefficient of variation of a single assay was 12%, the methods have been applied to extracts of the filter material from static and personal samplers in an animal room.