A comparative study of technics for the detection of antibodies to native deoxyribonucleic acid.

Antibodies to native DNA have been assessed by three separate radioimmunoassay methods: the Millipore filter technic, the Farr ammonium sulfate precipitation test, and a commercially available kit method. Although each method was found to be reliably reproducible, the different units by which results are expressed made comparison difficult because of the technical variations inherent in each test. The correlation between tests was, however, high. To allow for interlaboratory standardization, it is suggested that the assay method used be clearly specified. Results are best expressed in terms of mg of DNA bound per deciliter of test serum. It appears that the centrally standardized radioimmunoassay kit is the most convenient method by which these antibodies can be measured in routine laboratories.