Biomarker: T016-IgE Pine, White

Overview

T016-IgE measures serum allergen-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) antibodies directed against white pine (Pinus strobus) pollen. IgE is involved in immediate-type allergic responses, including allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and asthma. A detectable or elevated result indicates sensitization to the tested allergen, but does not by itself confirm symptomatic allergy or predict reaction severity. The test is clinically useful when interpreted with exposure history and symptoms to help identify possible white pine pollen sensitivity and guide allergy evaluation.

Clinical Use Cases

Evaluate suspected seasonal allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis, or asthma associated with white pine pollen exposure.
Identify sensitization to white pine as part of an aeroallergen assessment.
Support selection of allergens for environmental counseling or consideration of allergen immunotherapy when clinically appropriate.
Provide an alternative to skin testing when skin testing is contraindicated, impractical, or affected by medications or skin disease.
Support research on pine-pollen sensitization and cross-reactivity among pine species.

Specimen Types

Serum from venous blood.
Serum from capillary blood may be suitable for some validated testing protocols.

Measurement Methods

Fluorescence enzyme immunoassay, including ImmunoCAP-based assays.
Other validated automated or enzyme immunoassays for allergen-specific IgE.
Results are generally reported quantitatively in kU/L and may also be assigned an assay-specific class or category.

Test Preparation and Influencing Factors

Fasting is generally not required for serum allergen-specific IgE testing.
Antihistamines usually do not prevent blood testing, unlike many skin tests; medication changes should be discussed with a health care professional.
A complete medication history should be provided because clinical context and treatment history may affect test selection and interpretation.
Collection timing does not generally require alignment with pollen season, although symptom timing and environmental exposure should be documented.
Age, total IgE concentration, allergic conditions, exposure history, and the assay used can influence interpretation.
A positive result indicates sensitization and should be interpreted with compatible symptoms and exposure history.
Specific IgE concentration does not reliably predict the severity of a future reaction.
Low or undetectable results reduce the likelihood of sensitization but do not always exclude clinically relevant allergy.
Recent or ongoing allergen immunotherapy may affect interpretation; specific IgE testing is not generally used to determine whether clinically meaningful sensitivity remains after immunotherapy.