Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026
Development of an in vitro model system for studying the interaction of Equus caballus IgE with its high-affinity receptor FcεRI
Published on: November 1, 2014
In vitro detection of specific IgE antibodies to erythromycin
C Pascual1, J F Crespo, J Quiralte
1Servicio de Alergia, Hospital La Paz, Madrid, Spain.
Background:
In vitro tests for detecting drug-specific IgE would be useful in identifying patients at risk for immediate hypersensitivity reactions to therapeutic doses of a drug.
Objective:
We attempted to verify that IgE-mediated reactions to erythromycin occur and to identify IgE antibodies specific for erythromycin in serum from a patient who had urticaria immediately after administration of the drug.
Methods:
Skin prick testing was performed on the patient and five control subjects. Serum from the patient, pooled sera from nonatopic subjects allergic to common aeroallergens, and cord blood controls were analyzed for erythromycin-specific IgE by radioimmunoassay. Sepharose (Pharmacia, Uppsala, Sweden) was used as solid phase covalently linked to erythromycin.
Results:
We were able to detect erythromycin-specific IgE antibodies in serum from the patient who had an allergic reaction to this antibiotic, but specific IgE could not be detected in control sera.
Conclusion:
Immunologic IgE-mediated reactions to erythromycin do occur, and in vitro diagnosis of such reactions can be made by using Sepharose as a solid phase covalently linked to this drug.
Related Concept Videos
01:10Antibody Structure
Antibodies, also known as immunoglobulins (Ig), are essential players of the adaptive immune system. These antigen-binding proteins are produced by B cells and make up 20 percent of the total blood plasma by weight. In mammals, antibodies fall into five different classes, which each elicits a different biological response upon antigen binding.
The Y-Shaped Structure of Antibodies Consists of Four Polypeptide Chains
Antibodies consist of four polypeptide chains: two identical heavy...
01:33Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
There are many different types of ELISAs, but they all involve an antibody molecule whose constant region binds an enzyme, leaving the variable region free to bind its specific antigen. Enzyme-substrate reaction allows the antigen to be visualized or quantified.