Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for circulating anti-glomerular basement membrane antibodies.

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the quantitative determination of anti-glomerular basement membrane antibodies in human sera, which is both sensitive and reproducible, is described. The test detected circulating antibodies in each of seven patients with active anti-glomerular basement membrane disease, whilst sera from 42 patients, with a variety of other glomerulonephropathies, were negative by the test. It has also been possible to demonstrate a good correlation between the levels of circulating anti-glomerular basement membrane antibodies and the clinical course of disease in one patient with Goodpasture's syndrome.