ELISA is short for enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. This is a diagnostic medical test to see if there is any present antibody or antigen in the body of a person. Its purpose is for calibrating the immunity of a person in terms of diseases and viruses. It identifies the protein concentration in the bodily fluids of a person.
An example for this would be for HIV testing. It looks for the certain antibodies which is related to the HIV virus within the blood. In regards to the thyroid glands, what is used are Thyroid ELISA kits, which are very common. Other testing kits are available as well for other parts of the body.
In general, ELISA is also used for tests in illegal drug use. It also helps determine the allergic reactions towards food for a person. It is widely used as a tool in plant pathology, and also in quality control check in some industries. How to determine this is through the intensity of the color change of each sample of the patient.
There are two most common types of ELISA tests. The indirect detects protein or the antibody and the example for this is as what was mentioned, HIV tests. The other one is the capture or sandwich. It detects the antigen by capturing them between two antibodies. The hormone human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, is detected using sandwich. One example of this would be pregnancy tests.
There are many ways to collect samples from the patient or donor. Two common ways are from blood or urine, which by now, you have already guessed, is taken during tests in clinics and hospitals. For blood samples, they are placed inside a test tube and sent to the laboratories for further analysis. Inside the laboratory, the actual testing would begin.
A centrifuge is used to make a blood serum which is used during the tests. The centrifuge would separate the compositions of the blood which are the cells and the plasma. A blood serum is the actual sample used in tests, and the clotting feature is actually taken out already.
There are enzyme substrate combinations that can be used for detection. The one enzyme used the most is Horseradish Peroxidase. This cleaves or separates the substrate molecules Ortho Phenylenediamine Dihydrochloride, or OPD, and Tetramethylbenzidine, or TMB, from each other. The result would be a yellow color when these two are separated. Then a plate reader is used to measure the optical density.
When the patient is thought to have a known disease or condition, the blood or urine sample will have specific antibodies which will react to the testings. These antibodies will latch itself to the antigens which are the specific bonding agents in the test. After that, the samples will be washed with a solution in order for it to remove everything else except for the antigens or also the antibodies.
Enzyme solutions would then be applied to the sample to determine if the color changes accordingly whether there it is a positive or negative result. Although there is a possibility for the test samples to return a false positive. This is when the sample of the patient does not have the infection but returns with a positive result. But regardless, ELISA tests are still considered the most reliable in the immunology community.
An example for this would be for HIV testing. It looks for the certain antibodies which is related to the HIV virus within the blood. In regards to the thyroid glands, what is used are Thyroid ELISA kits, which are very common. Other testing kits are available as well for other parts of the body.
In general, ELISA is also used for tests in illegal drug use. It also helps determine the allergic reactions towards food for a person. It is widely used as a tool in plant pathology, and also in quality control check in some industries. How to determine this is through the intensity of the color change of each sample of the patient.
There are two most common types of ELISA tests. The indirect detects protein or the antibody and the example for this is as what was mentioned, HIV tests. The other one is the capture or sandwich. It detects the antigen by capturing them between two antibodies. The hormone human chorionic gonadotropin, or hCG, is detected using sandwich. One example of this would be pregnancy tests.
There are many ways to collect samples from the patient or donor. Two common ways are from blood or urine, which by now, you have already guessed, is taken during tests in clinics and hospitals. For blood samples, they are placed inside a test tube and sent to the laboratories for further analysis. Inside the laboratory, the actual testing would begin.
A centrifuge is used to make a blood serum which is used during the tests. The centrifuge would separate the compositions of the blood which are the cells and the plasma. A blood serum is the actual sample used in tests, and the clotting feature is actually taken out already.
There are enzyme substrate combinations that can be used for detection. The one enzyme used the most is Horseradish Peroxidase. This cleaves or separates the substrate molecules Ortho Phenylenediamine Dihydrochloride, or OPD, and Tetramethylbenzidine, or TMB, from each other. The result would be a yellow color when these two are separated. Then a plate reader is used to measure the optical density.
When the patient is thought to have a known disease or condition, the blood or urine sample will have specific antibodies which will react to the testings. These antibodies will latch itself to the antigens which are the specific bonding agents in the test. After that, the samples will be washed with a solution in order for it to remove everything else except for the antigens or also the antibodies.
Enzyme solutions would then be applied to the sample to determine if the color changes accordingly whether there it is a positive or negative result. Although there is a possibility for the test samples to return a false positive. This is when the sample of the patient does not have the infection but returns with a positive result. But regardless, ELISA tests are still considered the most reliable in the immunology community.
