Someone who is allergic to a particular compound (allergen) will often create a subtype of antibodies (immunoglobin E) to the allergen, and histamine levels will increase to produce the immune response. Although testing a particular food for the allergen is relatively straightforward, learning which potential allergen caused the response is much more challenging. Which might be the best technique to determine which allergen a person has been exposed to, and why? A. Western blot – immunodetection of immunoglobin E can be determined by subjecting the allergen to SDS PAGE and transfer to Western blot.
B. Mass spectroscopy – determining the presense of antibodies in a person after exposure can be measured by the mass of immunoglobulin E.
C. Mass spectroscopy – measuring the increases in histamines can show whether the antigen has been exposed to the patient.
D. ELISA – using an allergen in a sandwich ELISA will capture the antibodies produced against the allergen.