Identification of human saliva by antisera to alpha-amylase in human salivary glands

Amylase activities were detected significantly in saliva from human, macaques and rodents and slightly in the vegetable and fruit extracts. Dried stains on filter paper prepared from human and mammalian saliva, and the vegetable and fruit extracts were subjected to starch-iodine test and blue starch polymer-agar plate test. Both tests showed strong positive reactions with the macaque and rodent saliva stains as well as human, but the vegetable and fruit stains showed clear positive reactions only in the starch-iodine test. The results suggest that these tests are not specific for human saliva and that for screening test of saliva stains, blue starch polymer-agar plate test is more suitable than starch-iodine test. Rabbit antisera against alpha-amylase isolated from the human submaxillary glands were prepared. In double immunodiffusion test with the human and mammalian saliva, human and macaque saliva produced precipitation lines. Human saliva gave patterns of partial identity with saliva from Japanese monkey and crab-eating monkey and these two macaque saliva gave total identity with each other. Anti-alpha-amylase sera absorbed with Japanese monkey saliva reacted only with human saliva. This suggested that the anti-alpha-amylase sera absorbed with macaque saliva make it possible to identify human saliva stain.