– For the past several years, there has been an advertising campaign, especially focused on dentists, to promote the so-called ‘memory lymphocyte immunostimulation assay’ (MELISA) for the detection of metal allergy. A study of the sparse scientific literature reveals that, as a consequence of the high number of false-positive results, this test is of no use for the diagnosis of metal allergy. Moreover, the claims of the developers of the test that metal allergy plays a role in several immune-mediated diseases, metabolic diseases and neurological or mental disorders are not based on sound scientific evidence.

Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd 2005;149:2090-2