BMS172 Applications of Immunological Tests

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, principles, and specific assays discussed in the lecture on applications of immunological tests.

Flocculation

An immunological interaction where antibodies react with small, insoluble antigens (such as lipids), causing them to clump together and form flocs.

Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test

A non-specific flocculation test used for the diagnosis of Syphilis that is read microscopically.

Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR) Test

A non-specific flocculation test used for the diagnosis of Syphilis that is read with the naked eye.

Virus Neutralization Test

An assay that detects neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) in serum based on their ability to inhibit viral infectivity and prevent cytopathic effect (CPE) in host cells.

Neutralizing Antibodies (NAbs)

Antibodies present in serum that bind to a virus and inhibit its infectivity, preventing damage to host cells.

Cytopathic Effect (CPE)

Structural changes or damage in host cells caused by viral infection, the presence of which in a neutralization test indicates a negative result for neutralizing antibodies.

Direct Immunoassay

An assay design used to identify an unknown antigen by binding it with labeled antibodies of known antigen-binding specificity.

Indirect Immunoassay

An assay design used to detect unknown primary antibodies in serum using labeled secondary antibodies, such as labeled anti-human IgG.

Immunofluorescence

An immunoassay technique that uses fluorescence microscopy to locate fluorophore-labeled antibodies bound to antigens fixed on a slide.

Direct Immunofluorescence

A technique that directly detects specific antigens in a tissue or cell sample using a fluorescently-labeled antibody, such as detecting rabies virus in infected animal brain tissue.

Indirect Immunofluorescence

A two-step technique detecting patient antibodies using an unlabeled primary antibody bound to a known antigen, followed by a fluorescently-labeled secondary antibody.

Fluorescent Treponemal Antibody Test (FTA)

An indirect immunofluorescence test used to detect anti-treponemal antibodies in the serum of patients with syphilis.

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)

An immunoassay technique using specific antigen-antibody interactions with enzyme labels that generate a measurable color signal proportional to the target substance.

Direct ELISA (Sandwich Method)

An ELISA format where wells are coated with specific capture antibodies to bind unknown antigens, which are then detected using an enzyme-labeled detection antibody.

Indirect ELISA

An ELISA format where microplate wells are coated with a known antigen to bind unknown primary antibodies from patient serum, detected via an enzyme-labeled secondary antibody.

Radioimmunoassay (RIA)

An immunoassay technique that functions similarly to ELISA but uses radioactive isotopes instead of enzyme labels to detect small molecules such as hormones, drugs, or viral antigens.