Dépistage des anticorps dirigéscontre les an tigènes nucléaires solubles

Identification of the specificity of antibodies against extractable nuclearantigens is the second step after the screening by indirect immunofluorescence in the detection of antinuclear antibodies. Different methods are available, which are described in this paper with their advantages and drawbacks. Immunoassay based on immunodiffusion are still the gold standard, in spite of the difficulties to standardize and to automate them. To give a pertinent result, the biologist should on the one hand know exactly the limits of the used methods, on the other hand confront this result with the clinical data.