Ex vivo product of conception test to determine abortion

摘要

The invention provides a method for determining the presence of products of conception in a sample derived from the uterus during a D & C, or a therapeutic or spontaneous abortion, and comprises determining the presence in the sample of a fetal restricted antigen, which is found in products of conception but not found in significant amounts in maternal plasma or serum. Since the fetal restricted antigen is not present in significant quantities in maternal plasma or serum, the methods of this invention are reliable even when the sample is contaminated with maternal blood. One fetal restricted antigen is fetal fibronectin.PPIn one embodiment of this invention, the sample is contacted with an insoluble support to which anti-(fetal restricted antigen) antibody is adhered, and the fetal restricted antigen binding to the support is determined. Alternatively, an antibody which binds a class of substances of which the fetal restricted antigen is a member can be substituted for either the capture antbody or the sandwiching antibody, and binding of fetal restricted antigen is determined. Competition assay procedures can also be used.P PReagents and reagent kits are included.