ELISA Test

Question	Answer
Why do you need an ELISA test?	To test for whether a patient has an antibody or an antigen to a particular pathogen, or an allergy.
What does ELISA stand for?	Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
What are the two types of ELISA?	Direct and indirect
Direct ELISA is faster and easier	You need an antibody which is complementary to the antigen being tested for. There must be an enzyme attached.
Step 1:	Add enzyme attached antibodies to a solution of patient's antigens.
Step 2:	If they are complementary, they will bind forming an antigen-antibody complex.
Step 3:	Wash the plate to remove any unbound antibodies.
Step 4:	Add substrate solution which complementary to the enzyme, on the antibody.
Step 5:	If any is present, it will form a enzyme substrate complex, changing color, so the result is positive.
What is indirect ELISA?	It is very similar to direct but you need two antibodies, a primary and secondary.
Whhaaaaaaaaaaat?	The primary antibody should be complementary to the tested antigen and the secondary antibody should have an enzyme attached and be able to bind to the primary.

Resource summary

	Created by Jumael Zafar over 7 years ago