NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Serology

Serology is the scientific study of blood serum. In practice, the term usually refers to the diagnostic identification of antibodies in the serum.^[1] Such antibodies are typically formed in response to an infection (against a given microorganism)^[2], against other foreign proteins (in response, for example, to a mismatched blood transfusion), or to one's own proteins (in instances of autoimmune disease). Blood plasma is the liquid component of blood, in which the blood cells are suspended. ... Diagnosis (from the Greek words dia = by and gnosis = knowledge) is the process of identifying a disease by its signs, symptoms and results of various diagnostic procedures. ... Each antibody binds to a specific antigen; an interaction similar to a lock and key. ... A cluster of Escherichia coli bacteria magnified 10,000 times. ... Donating blood Blood transfusion is the process of transferring blood or blood-based products from one person into the circulatory system of another. ... Autoimmune diseases arise from an overactive immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body. ...

Serological tests may be performed for diagnostic purposes when an infection is suspected, in rheumatic illnesses, and in many other situations, such as checking an individual's blood type.^[1] Serology blood tests help to diagnose patients with certain immune deficiencies associated with the lack of antibodies, such as X-linked agammaglobulinemia. In such cases, tests for antibodies will be consistently negative. An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. ... Blood type (or blood group) is determined, in part, by the ABO blood group antigens present on red blood cells. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... X-linked agammaglobulinemia (also called X-linked hypogammaglobulinemia, XLA, Bruton type agammaglobulinemia) is a rare X-linked genetic disorder that affects the bodys ability to fight infection (origin of the name: A=no, gammaglobulin=Antibody). ...

There are several serology techniques that can be used depending on the antibodies being studied. These include agglutination, precipitation, complement-fixation and fluorescent antibodies. agglutination ... An immunological test for determining the presence of a particular antibody in which serum is treated in a manner that allows existing antibodies to accept and bind to a known amount of antigen. ... Direct fluorescent antibody technique is a laboratory tool. ...

Some serological tests are not limited to blood serum, but can also be performed on other bodily fluids such as semen and saliva, which have (roughly) similar properties to serum. Horse semen being collected for breeding purposes. ... Saliva is the watery and usually somewhat frothy substance produced in the mouths of humans and some animals. ...

Serological tests may also be used forensically, generally to link a perpetrator to a piece of evidence (e.g., linking a rapist to a semen sample). The word forensic (from Latin: forensis - forum) refers to something of, pertaining to, or used in a court of law. ...

See also

Immunology is a broad branch of biomedical science that covers the study of all aspects of the immune system in all organisms. ... A medical laboratory or clinical laboratory is a laboratory where tests are done on biological specimens in order to get information about the health of a patient. ... Seroconversion is the development of detectable specific antibodies to microorganisms in the serum as a result of infection or immunization. ... A serovar or serotype is a grouping of microorganisms or viruses based on their cell surface antigens. ...

References

External links

Categories: Clinical pathology | Serology | Medical tests MedlinePlus (medlineplus. ... Pathology (from Greek pathos, feeling, pain, suffering; and logos, study of; see also -ology) is the study of the processes underlying disease and other forms of illness, harmful abnormality, or dysfunction. ... The term disease refers to an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs function. ... Necrosis (in Greek ÎÎµÎºÏÏŒÏ‚ = Death) is the name given to accidental death of cells and living tissue. ... An infection is the detrimental colonization of a host organism by a foreign species. ... In medicine, ischemia (Greek Î¹ÏƒÏ‡Î±Î¹Î¼Î¯Î±, isch- is restriction, hema or haema is blood) is a restriction in blood supply, generally due to factors in the blood vessels, with resultant damage or dysfunction of tissue. ... An abscess on the skin, showing the redness and swelling characteristic of inflammation. ... Wound healing, or wound repair, is the bodys natural process of regenerating dermal and epidermal tissue. ... Neoplasia (new growth in Greek) is abnormal proliferation of cells in a tissue or organ. ... Anatomic pathology is a medical specialty (a branch of pathology) that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the gross, microscopic, and molecular examination of cells and tissues. ... Anatomic pathology is a medical specialty (a branch of pathology) that is concerned with the diagnosis of disease based on the gross, microscopic, and molecular examination of cells and tissues. ... Cytopathology is a branch of pathology that studies and diagnoses diseases on the cellular level. ... Post-mortem, postmortem and post mortem redirect here. ... Molecular pathology is an emerging discipline within anatomic pathology which is focused on the use of nucleic acid-based techniques such as DNA sequencing, fluorescent in-situ hybridization, reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, and nucleic acid microarrays for specialised studies of disease in tissues and cells. ... Forensic pathology, first recognized in the USA by the American Board of Pathology in 1959, is a branch of medicine concerned with determining cause of death usually for civil or criminal law cases. ... Dental pathologists are doctors of dental science who specialise in the diagnosis and characterization of diseases of the teeth, jaw, and maxilla through the examination of tissue specimens. ... Gross examination or grossing is the process by which pathology specimens are inspected with the naked eye to obtain diagnostic information, while being processed for further microscopic examination. ... Histopathology is a field of pathology which specialises in the histologic study of diseased tissue. ... Immunohistochemistry or IHC refers to the process of localizing proteins in cells of a tissue section exploiting the principle of antibodies binding specifically to antigens in biological tissues. ... The electron microscope is a microscope that can magnify very small details with high resolving power due to the use of electrons rather than light to scatter off material, magnifying at levels up to 500,000 times. ... Immunofluorescence is the labeling of antibodies or antigens with fluorescent dyes. ... A metaphase cell positive for the bcr/abl rearrangement using FISH. The chromosomes can be seen in blue. ... Clinical Pathology is one of the two major divisions of Pathology. ... Clinical chemistry (also known as clinical biochemistry, chemical pathology or pure blood chemistry) is the area of pathology that is generally concerned with analysis of bodily fluids. ... Hematopathology is the branch of pathology which studies diseases of hematopoietic cells (see below). ... Transfusion medicine (or transfusiology) is the branch of medicine that is concerned with the transfusion of blood and blood components. ... Medical microbiology is a branch of microbiology which deals with the study of microorganisms including bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites which are of medical importance and are capable of causing diseases in human beings. ... The specificity of the bond between antibody and antigen has made it an excellent tool in the detection of substances in a variety of diagnostic techniques, known collectively as diagnostic immunology. ... Enzyme assays are laboratory methods for measuring enzymatic activity. ... Mass spectrometry (also known as mass spectroscopy (deprecated)[1] or informally, mass-spec and MS) is an analytical technique used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions. ... Pictured is a sophisticated gas chromatography system. ... Analysis of a marine sample of photosynthetic picoplankton by flow cytometry showing three different populations (Prochlorococcus, Synechococcus and picoeukaryotes) Flow cytometry is a technique for counting, examining and sorting microscopic particles suspended in a stream of fluid. ... A blood bank is a cache or bank of blood or blood components, gathered as a result of blood donation, stored and preserved for later use in blood transfusions. ... A microbiological culture is a way to determine the cause of infectious disease by letting the agent multiply (reproduce) in predetermined media. ...