Method and apparatus for distinguishing Crohn's disease from ulcerative colitis and other gastrointestinal diseases by detecting the presence of fecal antibodies to Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract

A method and apparatus for the differentiation of Crohn's disease from other gastrointestinal illnesses, such as ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome, using the presence of fecal anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCA) as a marker for Crohn's disease are provided. The apparatus includes an enzyme-linked immunoassay or other immunoassay that utilizes antibodies specific to human immunoglobins for the measurement of total endogenous ASCA in a human fecal sample. The method and apparatus may be used by healthcare providers to distinguish Crohn's disease from other gastrointestinal illnesses, such as ulcerative colitis and irritable bowel syndrome.

1 . A kit for diagnosing Crohn's disease by testing a fecal sample from a person to be diagnosed, the kit comprising: 
 one or more microassay plates, each the plate containing extract  Saccharomyces cerevisiae;      enzyme-linked polyclonal antibody to human anti- Saccharomyces cerevisiae  antibodies; and    enzyme substrate for color development.    
     
     
         2 . The kit as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising purified human anti- Saccharomyces cerevisiae  antibodies as a positive control.  
     
     
         3 . The kit as recited in  claim 1 , further comprising a stop solution for quenching the reaction.  
     
     
         4 . The kit as recited in  claim 2 , further comprising a stop solution for quenching the reaction.