Moving past serology: Diagnostic options without serum

Michael P Reichel; Sasha R Lanyon; Fraser I Hill

doi:10.1016/j.tvjl.2016.04.010

Moving past serology: Diagnostic options without serum

Vet J. 2016 Sep:215:76-81. doi: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2016.04.010. Epub 2016 Apr 22.

Authors

Michael P Reichel¹, Sasha R Lanyon², Fraser I Hill³

Affiliations

¹ School of Veterinary Medicine, City University of Hong Kong, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China; School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Roseworthy Campus, University of Adelaide, South Australia 5371, Australia. Electronic address: mreichel@cityu.edu.hk.
² School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, Roseworthy Campus, University of Adelaide, South Australia 5371, Australia.
³ Gribbles Veterinary, PO Box 536, Palmerston North 4440, New Zealand.

Abstract

Detecting antibodies formed in serum in response to infection is the traditional function of serology. Diagnostic modalities have included complement fixation tests, agar gel immune-diffusion, radioimmunoassay, ELISA and immunofluorescence. More recent technology now allows for the direct detection of pathogens by PCR. This review details the options for diagnostic testing using specimen types other than serum, identifying the advantages and disadvantages of these options and providing evidence for more widespread use of these techniques and specimen types.

Keywords: Diagnosis; ELISA; PCR; Serology; Specimens.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Animal Diseases / diagnosis*
Animals
Animals, Domestic
Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures / veterinary*