Patent ID: 8278054

Claim:
An in vitro method for diagnosing a nickel allergy in a subject, which method comprises: (i) providing (a) a solution comprising a nickel salt; (b) T-cells from said subject; (c) antigen presenting cells; and (d) a surface to which is immobilized a first antibody capable of specifically binding to a cytokine released from said T-cells in response to said nickel salt wherein said cytokine is selected from the group consisting of IL-4, IL-5, and IL-13; (ii) contacting said T-cells with said nickel salt, said antigen presenting cells and said surface under conditions which are suitable for (a) release of said cytokine by said T-cells that have been presensitized in vivo to nickel by skin contact of the subject with said nickel; and (b) binding of said cytokine to said first antibody to form a cytokine/antibody complex; and (iii) detecting binding of said cytokine to said first antibody, by enumerating spots of said cytokine/antibody complex formed on the surface, where each spot represents a T-cell which is secreting said cytokine, thereby detecting any nickel-specific T-cells at the single cell level which have been presensitized by skin contact of the subject with said nickel, where the detection of said presensitized T-cells secreting IL-4, IL-5, IL-13 or a combination thereof, correlates with said nickel allergy.