Comparison of a fluorometric method with radial immunodiffusion assays for determination of complement components C3 and C4.

Measurements of patient serum complement components C3 and C4 are useful indicators of complement consumption in immune complex diseases. A fluorometric quantitative immunofluorescence system was evaluated in terms of measuring these complement components, and the results were compared with those of radial immunodiffusion assays. For comparison of the two systems, 232 patient sera were evaluated for C3, and 202 specimens were tested for C4. Analysis of the data by linear regression indicated a proportional difference between the methods. C3 and C4 concentrations measured by the fluorometric method were lower than those measured by radial immunodiffusion, especially concentrations exceeding the normal ranges. In detecting lower concentrations (less than 120 mg/dl for C3 and less than 25 mg/dl for C4), the two methods showed better agreement. Each assay system was reproducible and could be used to evaluate changes that occur in concentrations of complement components during therapeutic treatment. However, the ease in processing a large volume of specimens and the short time needed to complete the assay are advantages that make the fluorometric method more suitable than radial immunodiffusion for use in a large clinical laboratory.