ABSTRACT
Immunoassays have been developed for a wide range of antigenic biological and some nonbiological substances, including proteins, glycoproteins, hormones, peptides, chemical haptens, and drugs. This chapter uses allergen immunoassays to illustrate the general principles of immunoassay development and to provide strategies that may be useful for devising tests for other biological pollutants. Immunoassays have also been used to compare the form and concentration of specific allergens in the air. Most extracts of allergen-containing materials (e.g., pollen, fungus materials, environmental samples) are a heterogeneous mixture of proteins and other macromolecules (many of which are nonallergenic). In cases where neither purified allergens nor monospecific antibodies are available for measuring specific allergens, alternative immunoassay techniques can be used for comparing the “total” allergen content of extracts. The use of immunoassays to measure allergen exposure is successful only when the offending allergen sources are recognized and the specific allergens have been immunochemically well defined.
