[Detection of beta 2-transferrin with agarose gel electrophoresis, immunofixation and silver staining in cerebrospinal fluid, secretions and other body fluids].

A method is described for the detection of beta 2-transferrin (asialotransferrin) in 1 microliter cerebrospinal fluid. Owing to its low content of sialic acid, beta 2-transferrin migrates more slowly than the main transferrin component (beta 1-transferrin) in electrophoresis. The high sensitivity and specificity of the test depend on immunofixation of the electrophoretically separated transferrin in the agarose gel, and on the visualization of the immune complex by staining with alkaline silver nitrate solution. Since beta 2-transferrin occurs practically only in cerebrospinal fluid and not in other body fluids, its detection in secretions from the nose or ear can be used for the diagnosis of rhinoor otoliquorrhoea. Even under unfavourable conditions, 10% cerebrospinal fluid can be detected in a secretion. Operator time for investigation of a secretion sample is 110 minutes and the analysis time is 5 hours. The direct costs are 95 German marks. Forty two secretions have been investigated so far. Eighteen were shown to contain cerebrospinal fluid, and this was confirmed by subsequent operative findings on the patients.