Introduction to Serology and Immunoassays Quiz

The study of the presence or concentration of molecules (antigen/antibody) in a solution using antibodies or antigens.

Serology focuses on detecting antibodies or antigens in blood, plasma, or serum to identify infections or diseases, while immunoassays focus on the presence of specific molecules in any solution.

Agglutination, Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA), Lateral flow Immunoassay, and Fluorescence immunoassays (Flow Cytometry) are all examples of immunoassays.

Antibodies are used to detect specific antigens, and antigens are used to detect specific antibodies. This works because of the highly specific binding between antigens and antibodies.

Antiserum is produced by injecting an animal with a specific antigen. This triggers an immune response in the animal, causing it to produce antibodies against the antigen. The animal's serum, containing these antibodies, is then collected and called antiserum.

Serology tests can be used to detect whether a person has been exposed to Covid-19 and potentially developed an immune response against the virus.

About 47% of all COVID-19 transmissions are believed to occur from contact with individuals who are presymptomatic, meaning they show no symptoms but are still infectious.

Roughly 6% of COVID-19 transmissions are believed to come from contact with individuals who are asymptomatic, meaning they never develop symptoms but are still infectious.

Serology tests can be used to detect mild or asymptomatic cases of COVID-19, meaning people who either have mild symptoms or no symptoms at all.

In clinical laboratories, serologic testing can be performed in two distinct ways: direct serologic testing and indirect serologic testing.

Indirect serologic testing detects antibodies being made against a specific antigen in a patient's serum.

Antigen-antibody interactions can result in various outcomes, including agglutination of particulate antigens, precipitation of soluble antigens, neutralization of toxins and viruses, activation of complement, and labeling of antibodies.

Serologic testing relies on the principle of using known antibodies to identify unknown antigens or to detect antibodies being made against a specific antigen in a patient's serum.

Immunoassays and serology can be used to detect and measure the levels of hormones, drugs, abnormal antibodies, HLA typing, white blood cell types, and blood group antigens.

The three main purposes of serologic testing in the clinical laboratory are to identify unknown antigens, to detect antibodies being made against a specific antigen in the patient's serum, and to detect and measure the level of various substances.

Serology tests for SARS-CoV-2 can detect the presence of antibodies in the blood, indicating whether a person has mounted an immune response against the coronavirus.