Anti-PCA (APCA) is an autoantibody which has been said to be found in pernicious anemia. We use the FLUORO-KIT test system with cryostat sections of rat kidney and stomach, and or rat liver as the substrate at a beginning dilution of patient's serum of 1:20. When a test is positive, one must be sure that the fine granular cytoplasmic fluorescence is not confused with parietal cell cytoplasmic positivity due to AMA or ASMA. One might see granular cytoplasmic positivity in the non-parietal glandular cells of gastric mucosa as an expression of anti-ribosomal antibodies (ARIA) which are occasionally seen in SLE with renal involvement. The use of animal tissue avoids interference from HLA and/or blood group Abs that may occur were human substrate used. Incidental Abs may show up in this system such as ASMA, ANA, ARA, ABBA, anti-canalicular Ab, anti-liver cell membrane Ab, and anti-ribosomal Ab.

Associations with undetectable Ab:

• normalcy

Associations with elevated levels:

• autoimmune atrophic gastritis leading to pernicious anemia