The PURPOSE of this HIV immunology computer laboratory is to provide a basic understanding of some common immunological laboratory assays a physician might order to diagnose what he or she suspects to be the causative agent of a patient's illness.
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ELISA Module Objectives
- Understand how an ELISA is performed.
- Know what serum components are measured in an ELISA.
- Be able to explain how an ELISA test is used to detect sero-positivity for HIV or any other pathogen.
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Western Blotting Analysis Module Objectives
- Know why a western blot is a confirmatory test for HIV positivity.
- Know what serum components are measured in a Western blot.
- Understand how a western blot is performed.
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Flow Cytometry Module Objectives
- Understand how flow cytometry is performed.
- Given fluorchromated antibodies directed against cell surface markers such as CD4 and CD8, be able to illustrate which population of cells are present in any given quadrant of a flow cytometry diagram.
- Explain how flow cytometry might be used to stage a patient with AIDS.
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Coombs' Module Objectives
- Distinguish between Direct and Indirect Coombs' Tests.
- Understand the conditions under which an unborn child might be at risk from the immune system of the mother.
- Explain the role of the second antibody (Coomb's Reagent) in these tests.
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RAST Module Objectives
- Identify the target immunoglobin of the RAST.
- Describe the essential difference between RAST and ELISA.
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Hemagglutination Inhibition Module Objectives
- Describe the conditions under which a Hemagglutination Inhibition test would be necessary.
- Evaluate the potency of a newly developed antibody titer.
- Compare and contrast these results with those of the Coombs' Test.
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