Diagnostic immunology is a collective term for a variety of diagnostic techniques that rely on the specificity of the bond between
antibodiesAntibodies are gamma globulin proteins that are found in blood or other bodily fluids of vertebrates, and are used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects, such as bacteria and viruses...
and
antigenAn antigen is a substance that prompts the generation of antibodies and can cause an immune response. "Self" antigens are usually tolerated by the immune system; whereas "Non-self" antigens are identified as intruders and attacked by the immune system...
s. Diagnostic immunology is well-suited for the detection of even the smallest of amounts of (bio)chemical substances. Antibodies specific for a desired antigen can be
conjugatedConjugation may refer to:*Grammatical conjugation, the modification of a verb from its basic form, including:**Latin conjugation**Spanish conjugation**French conjugation**English verb*Marriage, relationship between two or more individuals....
with a radiolabel, fluorescent label, or color-forming enzyme and are used as a "probe" to detect it.
Well known applications of this include pregnancy tests, immunoblotting,
ELISAEnzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, also called ELISA, enzyme immunoassay or EIA, is a biochemical technique used mainly in immunology to detect the presence of an antibody or an antigen in a sample. The ELISA has been used as a diagnostic tool in medicine and plant pathology, as well as a quality...
and immunohistochemical staining of
microscope slideA microscope slide was originally a 'slider' made of ivory or bone, containing specimens held between disks of translucent mica. These were popular in Victorian England until the Royal Microscopical Society introduced the standardized microscope slide in the form of a thin sheet of glass used to...
s.
Discussion
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Diagnostic immunology is a collective term for a variety of diagnostic techniques that rely on the specificity of the bond between
antibodiesAntibodies are gamma globulin proteins that are found in blood or other bodily fluids of vertebrates, and are used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects, such as bacteria and viruses...
and
antigenAn antigen is a substance that prompts the generation of antibodies and can cause an immune response. "Self" antigens are usually tolerated by the immune system; whereas "Non-self" antigens are identified as intruders and attacked by the immune system...
s. Diagnostic immunology is well-suited for the detection of even the smallest of amounts of (bio)chemical substances. Antibodies specific for a desired antigen can be
conjugatedConjugation may refer to:*Grammatical conjugation, the modification of a verb from its basic form, including:**Latin conjugation**Spanish conjugation**French conjugation**English verb*Marriage, relationship between two or more individuals....
with a radiolabel, fluorescent label, or color-forming enzyme and are used as a "probe" to detect it.
Well known applications of this include pregnancy tests, immunoblotting,
ELISAEnzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, also called ELISA, enzyme immunoassay or EIA, is a biochemical technique used mainly in immunology to detect the presence of an antibody or an antigen in a sample. The ELISA has been used as a diagnostic tool in medicine and plant pathology, as well as a quality...
and immunohistochemical staining of
microscope slideA microscope slide was originally a 'slider' made of ivory or bone, containing specimens held between disks of translucent mica. These were popular in Victorian England until the Royal Microscopical Society introduced the standardized microscope slide in the form of a thin sheet of glass used to...
s. The speed, accuracy and simplicity of such tests has led to the development of rapid techniques for the diagnosis of disease, microbes and even illegal drugs
in vivoIn vivo refers to experimentation using a whole, living organism as opposed to a partial or dead organism, or an in vitro controlled environment. Animal testing and clinical trials are two forms of in vivo research...
(of course tests conducted in a closed environment have a higher degree of accuracy). Such testing is also used to distinguish compatible
blood typeA blood type is a classification of blood based on the presence or absence of inherited antigenic substances on the surface of red blood cells...
s.
See also
- Wikipedia:MeSH E01#MeSH E01.450.495 --- immunologic tests
- Medical technologist
A Medical Laboratory Scientist is a healthcare professional who performs chemical, hematological, immunologic, microscopic, and bacteriological diagnostic analyses on body fluids such as blood, urine, sputum, stool, cerebrospinal fluid , peritoneal fluid, pericardial fluid, and synovial fluid, as...