Thursday, September 18, 2014

How ELISA Kits Helps Physicians To Diagnose Disease

By Harriet Porter


Medical science advances at an astonishing pace on all fronts. The area of diagnostics is one particular field where great efforts are made to devise tests and procedures that can help doctors to diagnose diseases quicker and more accurately. This is important because successful treatment often depends upon an early diagnosis. ELISA kits, for example, have empowered doctors to efficiently detect a wide range of diseases.

This revolutionary technique, also known as EIA, or enzyme immunoassay, is conducted in a laboratory. It is used to determine the concentration of antigens or antibodies in a specific sample. The presence and concentration of antibodies is an important indication of the presence of a variety of medical conditions. The test is extremely popular because it is easy to do and many different tests can be processed at the same time.

The presence of antigens or antibodies, or both, in the body is a clear sign of disease. This is because antigens are known as harmful substances. The body is able to detect the presence of antigens and it then immediately start producing antibodies to fight the antigens. It is therefore logical to assume that the presence of either substance indicates the presence of disease.

The administration of the test is straight forward and painless. A small blood sample is taken from the patient. This sample is then sent to the laboratory where the technician will add the blood sample to an antigen already present in a petri dish. If the blood sample contains antibodies to the antigen, the two substances will bind together. Enzymes are added and the reaction between the antibodies and the antigen is observed.

The EIA test provides a wealth of information, even when administered in its simplest form. However, more complex techniques can provide even better results. Different formats, or kits, are used for the different forms of the test. For example, in the direct EIA test the antigen is coated with a multiwall plate. The antibody can only detect it if the latter has been conjugated with an enzyme.

The indirect IEA test is another example of how this protocol can be used in an advanced manner. In this instance the antigen is actually covered by a polystyrene plate. This forces the antibodies to go through two distinct stages before the antigen is detected. This test allows technicians to identify both primary and secondary antibodies. This is valuable because it may eliminate the need for further expensive tests.

The sandwich EIA test needs pairs of antibodies that are matched in pairs. The first antibody is coated with polystyrene. A second antibody then serves as the detection agent. The purpose of this test is to determine the concentration of the analyte. This test is extremely useful in the diagnosis of latent diseases and it is deemed to be highly accurate.

Nobody will deny the fact that one of the most important components of medical treatment is the ability to diagnose diseases. The earlier it is done the easier it is to treat and the better the prognosis will be. EIA offers hope to patients and it enables physicians to offer better chances.




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