Objective Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) is the conventional technique for antiglycolipid antibody testing in inflammatory neuropathy sera. Miniaturized array-based assays (glycoarrays) have also been used to detect these antibodies. As previous studies have focused on specific disease categories, such as Guillain-Barr e syndrome, the array has never been tested on an unselected population in a routine diagnostic laboratory setting. Methods In the present prospective study, we compared the results of the glycoarray with data obtained with a standardized inflammatory neuropathy cause and treatment-ELISA. A total of 300 sera sent to the Glasgow Neuroimmunology Laboratory for routine antiglycolipid antibody testing during a 6-month period were tested both with ELISA and glycoarray. Results The two techniques were significantly correlated and showed good agreement. By ELISA, six sera were positive for immunoglobulin G antibodies against GM1 or GD1a, 11 for immunoglobulin G anti-GQ1b antibodies, five for immunoglobulin M anti-GM1 antibodies and three for immunoglobulin M antibodies against disialosyl gangliosides. The glycoarray had a sensitivity of 92% to detect ELISA-positive sera with a specificity above 92% for all the different ELISA patterns. Conclusions The glycoarray allows testing of large panels of antibodies against single glycolipids and complexes of glycolipids on a very small scale. Its technical characteristics make it suitable as a diagnostic screening test. As data provided by the glycoarray and ELISA were reliably correlated in the present study, the glycoarray can be used in a routine setting to detect antiglycolipid antibodies. Further studies, including more positive samples, are required to clarify the future position of the array in the biological investigation of inflammatory neuropathies.

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