The Many Benefits Of Using ELISA Kits

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.

EIA, as this technique is also known, is an extremely popular test. This is because it is so easy to carry out and as an added bonus large numbers of tests can be done at the same time. The purpose of the test is to find out what concentration of antigens or antibodies exists in a specific sample. Antigen and antibody concentrations are very important indicators in the diagnostic process.

The importance of being able to detect the presence of antibodies or antigens cannot be overemphasized. Antibodies are proteins that the body produces when a harmful substance in the body is detected. These harmful substances are called antigens. By being able to identify the type of antibody produced by the body, physicians can accurately determine the type of harmful antigens that triggered the production of the antibodies.

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.

Then there is the indirect EIA test. In this case the antigen is covered with a polystyrene plate that can only be detected in two distinct stages. The main advantage of this format of the test is that it offers increased sensitivity. Both primary and secondary antibodies can be identified. This entails cost savings and it may even eliminate the need for further tests.

In the case of yet another type of EIA test, the sandwich test, pairs of antibodies are tested. The first antibody is covered with a polystyrene plate. The next antibody is then added in order to determine the concentration of the analyte. This is a complicated procedure but it is extremely accurate and flexible.

When all is said and done it is still the early diagnosis of a disease that provides the best chance of recovery and successful treatment. That is why tests such as EIA are so important. They allow doctors to identify the potential or existence of disease at an early stage. This gives the patient a better chance.




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