Previous Article | Next Article ![]()
Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, January 2002, p. 41-45, Vol. 9, No. 1
1071-412X/01/$04.00+0 DOI: 10.1128/CDLI.9.1.41-45.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.
Associated Regional and University Pathologists Institute for Clinical and Experimental Pathology, Salt Lake City, Utah 84108
Received 7 August 2001/ Returned for modification 19 September 2001/ Accepted 2 October 2001
|
|
|---|
|
|
|---|
The Luminex 100 system has been shown to be a feasible and cost-effective technology for assay development. Our institute has validated two multiplex assays for use in the clinical laboratory, one that includes a profile of six cytokines and one that includes a profile of pneumococcal antibodies of 14 different serotypes (J. W. Pickering, T. B. Martins, R. W. Greer, M. C. Schroder, M. E. Astill, C. M. Litwin, and H. R. Hill, submitted for publication). Other published applications of the current Luminex format include analysis of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (5, 8) and mutation screening (1). With the Luminex instruments ability to classify up to 100 distinct microspheres, we now have the ability to add true internal controls to determine correct sample and reagent addition, identify interfering substances such as heterophile antibodies (7) and rheumatoid factors (RFs), and monitor instrument performance parameters. During the development of a seven-analyte serologic viral respiratory profile, internal controls were investigated to determine if the correct sample was added and if interfering RF was present in the sample. When reporting negative results, a concern among technicians in a clinical laboratory is whether the patient sample was actually added to the reaction mixture. The patient sample may be left out of the reaction mixture due to human or automated instrument pipetting errors, sample clots, or other factors. These sampling errors generally go undetected in standard laboratory assays. Because of the multiplexing ability of the Luminex, true internal controls for the validation of sample addition can now be added to each individual well or reaction. To accomplish this, a goat anti-human immunoglobulin M (IgM) or anti-human IgG antibody is coupled to a specific microsphere that can be added to IgM- or IgG-specific serologic assay panels. This coupled microsphere then binds IgM or IgG isotypes present in the patients serum. If the patient sample is present, it will be detected by the anti-human IgM or IgG reporter conjugate, generating a semiqualitative result.
A second control was developed to detect significant levels of interfering IgM RFs. RFs represent one of the most serious problems in IgM testing (3). RFs are autoimmune antibodies, usually of the IgM class, which recognize human IgG. In antibody testing, specific IgG present in the serum binds to antigen, presenting a site for the anti-IgG IgM RF to bind. The IgM is then recognized by the labeled anti-IgM conjugate, giving rise to a false-positive result (Fig. 1). Traditional enzyme immunoassay (EIA) methods for IgM antibody testing typically employ an absorbent in the serum diluent consisting of a goat anti-human IgG antibody to minimize potential RF IgM interference. In our assay, an RF control was developed by coupling human IgG to a specific Luminex microsphere. If RFs are present in the patient sample, they will bind to the human IgG. The reporter anti-human IgM antibody added next to detect specific respiratory viral IgM antibodies will also detect the potentially interfering IgM RFs.
![]() View larger version (16K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 1. False-positive reaction caused by RF interference.
|
|
|
|---|
Luminex-multiplexed IgG and IgM serology assays. The nine different analyte-coupled microspheres were mixed together at a concentration of 1.0 x 105 copies of each microsphere/ml. Fifty microliters of the microsphere mixture was added to 100 µl of diluted serum (1:100 in PBS-Tween 20) for a final concentration of 5,000 copies of each individual microsphere (45,000 total) per reaction. Serum samples and microspheres were incubated for 20 min at room temperature using a 96-well microtiter plate on a shaker. This was followed by the addition of 50 µl of R-phycoerythrin-conjugated anti-human IgG or IgM (Jackson ImmunoResearch, West Grove, Pa.) to each well of the microtiter plate. Following a second 20-min incubation on the shaker, the microtiter plate was placed in a Luminex 100 instrument with an XY platform (automated microtiter plate handler), on which the microspheres were counted and analyzed. The amount of antibody bound to the microspheres was determined with anti-human IgG or IgM conjugated to phycoerythrin. When the microspheres were excited at a wavelength of 532 nm, phycoerythrin emited light at a wavelength of 575 nm. The mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) at 575 nm is directly proportional to the amount of antibody bound to the microspheres. Since the analyte specificity and position of each bead classification in the array are known, a single fluorescent reporter molecule can be used to measure antibody levels for all nine microspheres.
For the serum addition validation control, a calibrator was established to identify patient samples with less than 20 mg of IgM antibody per dl. The normal range for total IgM for individuals 10 years and older is 60 to 253 mg/dl. A semiquantitative result was then established using the calibrator, in which a value of 20 IgM units (MU) equals 20 mg of IgM antibody per dl. The calibrator was created by diluting normal human serum with bovine serum albumin until a value of 20 mg/dl was obtained by my standard nephelometric quantitative method.
For the RF interference control, a calibrator was created by pooling an RF IgM-positive serum sample with RF-negative blood bank serum samples until a value of 10 IU/ml was obtained based on a commercial EIA method (Zeus Scientific, Raritan N.J.). By dividing the Luminex MFI value of the unknown sample by the calibrator, an index value (IV) was established to identify any samples containing >10 IU of RF IgM (IV, 1.0 or greater) per ml as having potentially interfering concentrations of RF.
A calibrator for the serologic viral respiratory immunoassays was developed by pooling slightly positive serum samples. The reactivities of the calibrator and serum samples used in this study were determined with commercially available IgM-specific viral respiratory EIA kits obtained from Immuno-Biological Laboratories (Stuttgart, Germany) and by in-house complement fixation assays. The MFI value obtained by the Luminex technology for the patient sample was divided by the MFI value of the calibrator to calculate an IV. An IV of 1.0 or greater indicated that significant concentrations of IgM antibody to the specific viral antigen were detected, and the result was considered positive. An IV of less than 1.0 was considered negative.
|
|
|---|
For the development of the RF interference control, the results of 52 samples tested for IgM RF by Luminex were compared to results obtained by the Zeus Scientific EIA method. Overall correlation between the results of the two methods was good (r2 = 0.88) (Fig. 2). More importantly, a clear cutoff range from 2,200 to 4,000 MFI units was observed on the Luminex between negative (<10 IU/ml) and significant (>20 IU/ml) values obtained from the EIA. By using the established calibrator, all samples having an IV of 1.0 or greater (>10 IU/ml of RF IgM) were identified as having potentially interfering concentrations of RF. By including the two internal controls in an IgM serological assay, the following algorithm was established. If the patient sample was reported as negative for IgM antibody to the specific viral respiratory antigens, then the value of the serum addition control was checked. If the value was over 20 MU, then it was assumed that the sample type and dilution were correct and that the negative result was valid. If the value for the serum addition control was less than 20 MU, then the negative IgM result was suspect, the sample type and age of the patient were investigated, and the testing of the sample was repeated, if warranted. If the patient sample result was positive for IgM antibodies to any of the seven specific viral respiratory antigens, then the value of the RF interference control was examined. If the RF interference control had an IV of 1.0 or greater, then significant concentrations of interfering RF were present in the sample, indicating that a false-positive reaction may have occurred. These samples were retested using an anti-human IgG absorbent in the sample diluent to prevent IgM RF binding. If the repeated sample result remained positive, then a positive IgM result was reported for the specific viral antigen(s).
![]() View larger version (23K): [in a new window] |
FIG. 2. Comparison of results of 52 samples tested for RF IgM by the Luminex assay and a commercial EIA. Zeus IU, international units as determined by the Zeus EIA.
|
|
View this table: [in a new window] |
TABLE 1. Results from a multiplex IgM assay including seven viral respiratory analytes and two internal controls showing initial and absorbed results for adenovirus, an RF interference control, and a serum addition control
|
|
View this table: [in a new window] |
TABLE 2. Results from a multiplex IgM assay including seven viral repiratory analytes and two internal controls showing initial results and results with an absorbent for Flu A, an RF interference control, and a serum addition control
|
|
|
|---|
A semiquantitative serum validation control effectively indicated that sufficient patient serum was added to each well or reaction mixture. In a multiplex assay in which 82 samples were tested, 23 of 23 samples (100%) were correctly identified as having abnormally low levels (<20 mg/dl) of IgM antibody. A serum validation result of >20 MU assures the laboratorian that a patient sample has been added to each individual reaction well. It is also a good indicator that the correct sample type has been submitted for the serologic assay. For assays requiring serum samples, it is often difficult to visually distinguish between serum and CSF. If the sample dilutions are performed by an automated method, there is even less of a chance of detecting an incorrect sample type. It is important to determine the sample type, since reference ranges for CSF have not been established for most serologic assays and these samples are normally run with a disclaimer. By adding anti-human IgG- or IgM-coupled microspheres to multiplex Luminex assays, a simple but effective internal control which utilizes the same secondary reporter antibody as the viral-antigen-specific microspheres was developed. A control for IgG antibody detection for IgG serologic assays was also developed and performed similarly.
Results with a semiquantitative RF control showed good correlation with the results of an EIA (r2 = 0.88), and in a run of samples from 52 patients, the Luminex assay correctly identified 32 of 32 samples (100%) as having elevated or significant levels (>10 IU/ml) of IgM RF. The effectiveness of the assay with the RF control was further shown by spiking viral respiratory serum samples with RF. By testing samples in a standard serum diluent and a diluent containing anti-human IgG as an absorbent, it was possible to distinguish true IgM-positive samples from false-positive samples caused by interfering RF. Testing patient samples directly for the presence of RF has several advantages over the traditional serologic method of treating all samples with an anti-human IgG absorbent. Commercial IgG absorbents are expensive, adding to the cost $1.75 to $2.50 per patient sample. The cost of adding an RF control on the Luminex is less than $0.25 per sample. Since only a small percentage of the population possesses IgM RFs, treating every sample with an IgG absorbent adds significantly to the cost of an assay. The IgG absorbents have also been shown to remove as much as 20% of the IgM isotypes from serum samples (2). This could potentially cause false-negative results on low-level IgM-positive samples. Additionally, the Luminex internal RF control provides additional information to the clinician by reporting a semiquantitative result for the presence of IgM RFs rather than trying to indirectly block RF interference with an IgG absorbent.
Even though these internal controls were developed in conjunction with the viral respiratory profile, they are not assay specific. They could, therefore, be incorporated in any serologic multiplex assay to ensure that sufficient serum has been added to the reaction mixture or to determine the presence and possible interference of RF in IgM antibody assays.
The multiplexing ability of the Luminex instrument is proving to be a powerful platform for the development of multiple-analyte profiles which require fewer reagents, a smaller volume of patient sample, and lower costs than those of traditional diagnostic methodologies. By employing additional microspheres as internal controls, quality control parameters can now be included for each individual patient or reaction. Internal controls could be developed to ensure that correct concentrations of each individual reagent (sample, conjugate, substrate) have been added and that patient samples are free from known interfering substances such as RFs, heterophile antibodies, bilirubin, hemolysis, and other substances. Internal controls could also be utilized to increase precision and accuracy by monitoring instrument fluctuations, allowing intra- and interassay normalization.
|
|
|---|
This article has been cited by other articles:
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology. For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»