Home Medicine Anti-streptavidin IgG antibody interference in anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) IgG antibody assays is a rare but important cause of false-positive anti-CCP results
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Anti-streptavidin IgG antibody interference in anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (CCP) IgG antibody assays is a rare but important cause of false-positive anti-CCP results

  • Mario Berth EMAIL logo , Sofie Willaert and Carol De Ridder
Published/Copyright: February 21, 2018

Abstract

Background:

The detection of anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP) IgG antibodies in blood is mainly used for the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis. Falsely elevated anti-CCP IgG antibodies due to anti-streptavidin IgG antibodies were suspected in our laboratory.

Methods:

In this study, we evaluated, in a standardized approach, the prevalence of anti-streptavidin IgG antibodies in a primary care setting and the effect of anti-streptavidin IgG antibodies on anti-CCP IgG assays from three different important commercial manufacturers (Abbott, Roche Diagnostics, Thermo Fisher Scientific). Three different populations were consecutively and prospectively studied: serum samples from 1000 ambulatory patients, 286 serum samples from patients for which anti-CCP was requested and 89 serum samples from patients which had previously given a positive anti-CCP result on Architect® i2000.

Results:

The frequency of confirmed anti-streptavidin IgG-positive samples detected in this study was 0.6% (8/1375). Anti-CCP IgG was determined on the eight samples with confirmed anti-streptavidin IgG antibodies: with the Cobas® method, seven positive anti-CCP results were observed and five positive anti-CCP results with the Architect® method. No positive anti-CCP IgG results were obtained with the EliA™ method. Rheumatoid factor was negative in these eight samples.

Conclusions:

Anti-streptavidin IgG antibodies rarely cause false-positive results in some anti-CCP assays. However, despite being an infrequent assay problem, it could possibly lead to diagnostic confusion or even an incorrect diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis.


Corresponding author: Dr. Mario Berth, Algemeen Medisch Laboratorium (AML), Sonic Healthcare, Emiel Vloorsstraat 9, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium, Phone: +32 3 30 30 800, Fax: +32 3 30 30 880

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Thermo Fisher Scientific – Phadia for donating the anti-CCP IgG and anti-streptavidin IgG screening assay reagents used on Phadia 250.

  1. Author contributions: All the authors have accepted responsibility for the entire content of this submitted manuscript and approved submission.

  2. Research funding: None declared.

  3. Employment or leadership: None declared.

  4. Honorarium: None declared.

  5. Competing interests: The funding organization(s) played no role in the study design; in the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; or in the decision to submit the report for publication.

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Received: 2017-12-11
Accepted: 2018-01-24
Published Online: 2018-02-21
Published in Print: 2018-07-26

©2018 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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