mardi 21 octobre 2014

How ELISA Kits Help Specialists To Diagnose Diseases Quicker And More Efficiently

By Jocelyn Davidson


One cannot help but to stand in awe of the rapid progress made in the medical field. New techniques and medicines are introduced at an astonishing rate. Of course, one of the main fields of research is diagnostics. No one will argue the fact that an early diagnosis ensures a better prognosis and lower treatment costs. ELISA kits, an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, allow doctors to diagnose a variety of conditions quickly and efficiently.

The enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, or EIA as it is known for short is performed in a laboratory. The test is easy to run and many tests can be performed at the same time. The purpose of the test is to measure the concentration of both antigens and antibodies in the blood sample. The ability to measure this concentration is a very important part of the diagnostic process.

Antibodies are protein substances that are produced by the body when it detects the presence of dangerous substances. The dangerous substances are called antigens. When antibodies are detected by means of the EIA test, it follows logically that there must be antigens too. The exact identity of the antigens can be determined by identifying the type of antibody in the sample. In this way a diagnosis can be made confidently.

Patients experience no pain when the test is administered. A small quantity of blood is taken and then sent to a laboratory where a technician has already prepared a number of petri dishes, each containing a different antigen. The blood sample is then added to the dishes. If the antibodies in the blood samples react to any of the antigens they can be identified.

Diagnosticians can gain a wealth of information from the results of the EIA test. There are a number of different tests, however, each requiring a different kit. The more complex the test the more accurate and detailed the result. A simple test, such as the direct EIA test, produces fast results. The antigens are coated and the antibody will only recognize it if certain enzymes are present as well.

The indirect EIA test saves time and money because it is able to identify both secondary and primary antibodies during the same test cycle. Savings are achieved because the test often negates the need for other tests. In this case the antigens are coated with polystyrene and they can only be detected by the antibodies after two carefully manages stages.

The sandwich EIA test requires the antibodies to be matched in pairs. The first one is covered with polystyrene and the role of the second antibody is to act as a detection agent. The main purpose of this test is to find out what the concentration of the analyte is. It is an extremely accurate test and can be used to diagnose latent diseases.

Any test or procedure that can help physicians to diagnose a disease at an earlier stage can help save lives. The EIA test certainly enables the accurate and early diagnosis of a variety of conditions. This can help ensure that treatment programs are less invasive and that the prognosis is better.




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