The Vitrotest® Total-IgM immunodiffusion kit is designed for the quantitative determination of total immunoglobulin M (IgM) in human serum or plasma by radial immunodiffusion in a Mancini technique.

The determination of IgA antibodies in the Vitrotest® Total-IgA immunodiffusion kit is based on an immunoprecipitation reaction. Immunoglobulins of the test serum diffuse in a semi-solid agarose gel containing immune polyclonal serum and form a precipitation ring when equivalent concentrations are reached. The diameter of the ring depends on the concentration of IgM. Comparison with the control allows the concentration of immunoglobulins in the test serum to be determined.

○ TK102 – 70 tests

  • Immunodiffusion medium – ready-to-use agar gel with wells containing highly specific human IgM immune serum.
  • Control – a mixture of purified polyclonal antibodies of classes G, A, and M with known concentrations.
  • Sample volume for analysis – 3 μL.
  • Analysis time – 48 hours.


Immunoglobulins (antibodies) are a group of glycoproteins found in mammalian plasma and tissue fluid. In humans, as well as in most higher mammals, five classes of immunoglobulins are found – IgG, IgA, IgM, IgD, and IgE – which differ in molecular size, charge, and carbohydrate content.

IgM is the first immunoglobulin to be synthesized in response to primary antigenic stimulation and is a marker of the primary immune response. The high avidity of IgM antibodies makes them particularly effective at binding antigens present at low levels and non-protein antigens, such as carbohydrates or lipids, present on microbial surfaces. A very important property of IgM is the activation of phagocytosis. Polyreactive “natural” IgM, which is detected in human serum starting from the 20th week of pregnancy, plays an important role in the innate defense against infectious pathogens. The content of IgM is 5-10% of all serum immunoglobulins. Normally, the concentration of M-class immunoglobulins in the blood ranges from 0.4 to 2.5 g/L. Elevated IgM level is observed in acute and chronic infections, rheumatoid arthritis, acute and chronic lymphocytosis, myeloma, Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, endothelioma, osteosarcoma, candidiasis, and cystic fibrosis. Also, a significant increase in the amount of IgM occurs in hyperimmunoglobulinemia M.

Decreased IgM concentration is observed at physiological hypogammaglobulinemia in children (aged 3-5 months), congenital hypogammaglobulinemia or agammaglobulinemia, neoplasms of the immune system, treatment with cytostatics and immunosuppressants, and ionizing radiation exposure. To determine the content of total human IgM in diagnostic laboratories, the radial immunodiffusion (RID) method is widely used, which is considered the standard for measuring of different classes immunoglobulins in human serum and plasma.