Blister fluid for the diagnosis of subepidermal immunobullous diseases: a comparative study of basement membrane zone autoantibodies detected in blister fluid and serum

Abstract

The subepidermal immunobullous diseases bullous pemphigoid (BP), cicatricial pemphigoid (CP), pemphigoid gestationis (PG) and linear IgA disease (LAD) are characterized by circulating and in vivo deposition of antibodies to antigens in the cutaneous basement membrane zone (BMZ). Indirect immunofluorescence (IMF) of serum is a routine diagnostic test to detect circulating BMZ antibodies in these diseases. We have compared the titres of IgG and IgA and their subclasses, also of IgM and IgE BMZ antibodies in serum and aspirated blister fluid in 35 adult patients with subepidermal immunobullous diseases: BP (n = 30), PG (n = 2), CP (n = 1), and LAD (n = 2), by indirect IMF on intact and salt-split skin. The antibody titre in blister fluid was the same or one dilution less than serum in most cases and there was no significant difference between these results (P > 0.05). IgG1 and IgG4 were the predominant subclasses in both blister fluid and serum in BP. Indirect IMF of serum and blister fluid was also carried out on trypsinized epidermal cells in a subgroup of patients with BP (n = 19). Typical polar fluorescence was obtained in all 14 cases which had positive indirect IMF on intact and split skin. Our findings demonstrate that blister fluid can be used as an alternative to serum for indirect IMF in subepidermal immunobullous diseases. This avoids the need for venesection and has a practical application in children and those with poor venous access.