OBJECTIVE: We conducted a study to assess how temperature variations affect the effectiveness of IIF tests.
METHODS: This case-control study analysed 203 serum specimens: 102 from patients with pemphigus and 101 from patients with BP. Specimens were stored at -80 °C (control), 24 °C, and 40 °C for seven days before analysis to investigate variations in IIF titres compared to the control conditions.
RESULTS: In pemphigus serum, 95% at 24 °C and 76% at 40 °C showed no titre difference compared to controls. Similarly, 89% of BP serum at 24 °C and 82% at 40 °C matched the control titres. While 57 specimens across both groups experienced reduced titres, the decrease was primarily marginal (one-step reduction in 54 cases, two-step in 3), with no transition from positive to negative results.
CONCLUSIONS: Storing serum at 24-40 °C for up to seven days before testing slightly influences IIF outcomes for pemphigus and BP. These findings could prompt a significant revision in the existing strict transport guidelines, ensuring efficient use of resources without sacrificing the accuracy of diagnostic tests.
目的:我们进行了一项研究,以评估温度变化如何影响IIF测试的有效性。
方法:本病例对照研究分析了203份血清标本:天疱疮患者102份,BP患者101份。将样品储存在-80°C(对照),24°C,和40°C持续7天,然后进行分析,以研究与对照条件相比IIF滴度的变化。
结果:在天疱疮血清中,与对照相比,在24°C下95%和在40°C下76%没有显示滴度差异。同样,在24°C下89%的BP血清和在40°C下82%的BP血清与对照滴度相匹配。虽然两组57个标本的滴度都降低了,减少主要是边际的(一步减少54例,两步3),没有从积极到消极的过渡结果。
结论:在测试前将血清在24-40°C下储存7天对天疱疮和BP的IIF结局有轻微影响。这些发现可能会促使对现有的严格运输准则进行重大修订,确保资源的有效利用,而不牺牲诊断测试的准确性。