Improvement of the specificity of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis.

In an attempt to improve the specificity of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the diagnosis of paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), sera from patients with PCM were tested using various approaches, such as sodium metaperiodate antigen (gp43) treatment, a serum absorption process with Candida albicans or Histoplasma capsulatum antigens, and dilution of serum in galactose, the main common epitope among pathogenic fungi. The maximum specificity found in this ELISA was 84%. All of these procedures proved inefficient for eliminating all cross-reacting antibodies and obtaining an ELISA specific for PCM diagnosis.