AMA: Mitochondrial Ab

Testing for anti-mitochondrial antibody (AMA) is performed by ELISA using affinity purified recombinant MIT3 antigen. The MIT3 antigen contains immuno-dominant portions of the pyruvate dehydrogenase complex (PDC-E2), the branched-chain 2-oxo-acid dehydrogenase complex (BCOADC-E2), and the 2-oxo glutarate dehydrogenase complex (OGDC-E2). The ELISA assay used is a qualitative test that generates results in arbitrary units. The results of the AMA test will be reported as "Negative", "Equivocal" or "Positive" based on the following:

A negative result indicates no antibody or antibody levels below the detection limit of the assay. Equivocal results should prompt the collection and retesting of a new sample at a later time. A positive result indicates the presence of antibody to the MIT3 antigen. The level of antibody cannot be correlated to an endpoint titer as this is a qualitative test. AMAs are detected in up to 95% of patients with Primary Biliary Cirrhosis.