| A | B |
|---|
| Conjugate | a laboratory substrate prepared by joining two substances, such as fluorescein to an immunoglobulin molecule |
| Substrate | a substance on which another substance such as an enzyme acts |
| Prepicipate | the formation of a solid mass from previously soluble components |
| Agglutination | the clumping or aggregation of particles that have antigens on their surface(RBCs) by antibody molecules that form bridges (lattice) between the antigenic determinants |
| Fluorescent antibody (FA) assay | a general term used to describe procedures that use the visual detection of fluorescent dyes coupled (conjugated) to antibodies that react with the antigen when present using fluorescent microscopy |
| Chemiluminescence | luminescence in which the light emission is caused by the products of a specific chemical reaction |
| Monoclonal antibody | purified immunolgobulins produced by cells cloned from a single fusion-type hybridome cell - VERY specific antibodies |
| Radioimmunoassay (RIA) | A laboratory technique involving the use of radioactive substances to evaluate immunoglobulins |
| Polymerase chain reation (PCR) | molecular biology technique using amplification of low levels of specific DNA sequences in a sample to reach the threshold of detection |
| Enzyme Immunoassay (EIA) | A general term for quanitative testing of both antigens and antibodies. The method used color-changed products of enzyme-substrate interaction or inhibition to measuer the antigen-antibody reactions. |
| Ligand | Any substance that will combine with another; in immunoassays, the substance to be measured |
| Chromogen | A substance having the capacity to become colored ina particular chemical environment |
| Fluorochrome | A compound that fluoresces when irradiated with a particular wavelength of light |
| Label | a distinctive substance attached to a molecule that readily distinguishes it from neighboring molecules by some physical or chemical characteristic . The label may be an enzyme, fluorochrome, chromogen, or other group. |
| Specificity | Ability of a particular antibody to combine with antigen instead of another |
| Sensitivity | The frequency of positive results obtained in teh testing of a population of individuals who are truly positive for antibody |
| Qualitative Test Result | A test result expressed in non-numerical terms in order to determine the presence or absence of drug or drug metabolite in the sample. |
| Quantititative Test Result | A test result expressed in numerical terms in order to determine the specific quantity of drug or drug metabolite present in the sample. |
| Negative Test Result | A test result which states that the substance being tested is NOT present or NOT present in an amount greater than the cutoff concentration. |
| Positive Test Result | A test result which states that the substance being measured is present. |
