The elisa test result interpretation can provide a wealth of information about your health. However, sometimes those results can seem cryptic and unclear. This is especially true when the test focuses on antibodies, which can be found in your body to fight bacterial, viral and fungal infections. In some cases, a test result may be false positive or negative. In these situations, additional tests are typically needed to confirm a diagnosis and determine treatment options.

Your doctor might order an elisa test (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) to determine if you have antibodies that are associated with certain diseases, such as hepatitis A, B and C, HIV or bacterial infections like Lyme disease and brucellosis. It can also be used to detect food allergies or determine if you are allergic to certain drugs, such as corticosteroids.

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ELISA tests have many variations, but the most basic type involves an antibody bound to a solid surface such as a polystyrene multi-well plate. Then a sample of your blood is added to the plate, and any antibodies in the blood that match the antigen will bind to the surface. The laboratory scientist then adds a secondary antibody that “knows” the antibodies, such as horseradish peroxidase (HRP) or alkaline phosphatase (AP). The antibody and antigen bind to each other and the enzyme label produces a signal in the form of a color change or luminescence.

The signal can be quantified by comparing the absorbance of the samples to a standard curve, allowing the concentrations of antibodies in different samples to be determined. However, if the assay is not carefully designed and executed, it can produce inconclusive or even misleading data.

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