Monoclonal antibodies for diagnosis of immunodeficiencies.

Progress in immunophenotyping is characterized by the availability of monoclonal antibodies and an increased number of clusters of differentiation consisting of reagents with known specificity and defined reactivity patterns. Technical improvements have lead to standardization of immunofluorescence staining procedures and broad application of flow cytometry. These developments have contributed to better diagnosis of immunodeficiencies characterized by the lack of certain lymphocyte subsets or more broadly expressed, functionally important cell-surface molecules. Antibodies valuable for routine immunophenotyping of immunodeficiencies as well as examples of the different antibody groups desirable for immunofluorescence studies are presented. When used in concert with clinical and other laboratory tests, immunophenotyping provides a valuable instrument for differential diagnosis of defects in the immune system. As a consequence, detection of new defects of cell surface antigens and respective cell subpopulations is facilitated and a basis is provided for further study of the genetic and molecular regulatory aspects of immunologic disorders.