What is ELISA & Serology?

Serological tests are diagnostic methods that are used to identify antibodies and antigens in a patient's sample. Serological tests may be performed to diagnose infections and autoimmune illnesses, to check if a person has immunity to certain diseases, and in many other situations, such as determining an individual's blood type.

Serological tests may also be used in forensic serology to investigate crime scene evidence.

Several methods can be used to detect antibodies and antigens, including ELISA, agglutination, precipitation, complement-fixation and fluorescent antibodies and more recently chemiluminescence.