Oligoclonal band

Normally it is assumed that all the proteins that appear in the CSF, but are not present in the serum, are produced intrathecally (inside the central nervous system).

After all these bands are localized, OCBs should be assessed in the γ region which normally hosts small group of polyclonal immunoglobulins.

[6] New techniques like "capillary isoelectric focusing immunoassay" are able to detect IgG OCBs in more than 95% of multiple sclerosis patients.

The target antigens for these antibodies are not easy to find because it requires to isolate a single kind of protein in each band, though new techniques are able to do so.

[19] Six groups of patients are usually separated, based on OCBs:[20] Type 2 and 3 indicate intrathecal synthesis, and the rest are considered as negative results (No MS).

The main importance of oligoclonal bands was to demonstrate the production of intrathecal immunoglobins (IgGs) for establishing a MS diagnosis.

Several authors have reported that the nephelometric and ELISA FLCs determination is comparable with OCBs as markers of IgG synthesis, and kFLCs behave even better than oligoclonal bands.

[21] Another alternative to oligoclonal bands for MS diagnosis is the MRZ-reaction (MRZR), a polyspecific antiviral immune response against the viruses of measles, rubella and zoster found in 1992.