BMOL30090-Immunology-2023/24 Autumn
Lab report 1
Identify Patient Zero of an Outbreak With Indirect ELISA
Lau Pei Yi
23203142
, Introduction/Background
The COVID-19 pandemic serves as a stark reminder of the importance of disease
control. Rapid detection and isolation of carriers, particularly 'patient zero,' the initial
source of a disease in an outbreak, is critical in disease outbreak control[1].
Identifying patient zero provides crucial insights into disease transmission, which can
be used to inform effective outbreak management strategies[1, 2].
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) is a widely utilized method for the
rapid and specific detection of viral diseases such as HBV, HIV, and HTLV[3]. ELISA
operates on the principle of antibodies binding specifically to antigens to generate
results and encompasses several variants, including direct, indirect, sandwich, and
competitive ELISA. In the case of indirect qualitative ELISA, a species-specific
primary antibody is used to detect antigens within a microplate well. When the
antigen is present, the primary antibody binds specifically to it, followed by the
specific attachment of an anti-species secondary antibody, conjugated with an
enzyme. This dual binding enhances specificity and facilitates signal amplification.
The procedure concludes with the introduction of an enzyme substrate, and any
observed colorimetric change signifies the presence of the antigen in the sample,
thereby indicating infection.
In this experiment, a single infected sample has been intentionally introduced within
our class setting. To simulate the transmission of infection, individual samples from
the class have been mixed three times with different individuals. Subsequently, the
indirect ELISA method was utilised to analyse these samples in conjunction with a
positive control and a negative control. The objective is to determine whether the test
sample has been infected or not. A infected sample will correspond to the positive
control, while a uninfected sample will be in line with the negative control.
Methods/Methodology
Mixing of "Bodily Fluid"
To stimulate disease transmission, the test sample, was mixed with three different
partners. The test sample was sequentially shared with three individuals: Susan R.,
Neil Swan, and Emma Whelan.
Indirect Qualitative ELISA
The Indirect ELISA procedure was performed using a 12-well microplate strip, with
triplicate samples of 50 µl each, including the positive control (+), negative control (-),
the Pei Yi sample (PY), and the Susan R. sample (S).
Lab report 1
Identify Patient Zero of an Outbreak With Indirect ELISA
Lau Pei Yi
23203142
, Introduction/Background
The COVID-19 pandemic serves as a stark reminder of the importance of disease
control. Rapid detection and isolation of carriers, particularly 'patient zero,' the initial
source of a disease in an outbreak, is critical in disease outbreak control[1].
Identifying patient zero provides crucial insights into disease transmission, which can
be used to inform effective outbreak management strategies[1, 2].
Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) is a widely utilized method for the
rapid and specific detection of viral diseases such as HBV, HIV, and HTLV[3]. ELISA
operates on the principle of antibodies binding specifically to antigens to generate
results and encompasses several variants, including direct, indirect, sandwich, and
competitive ELISA. In the case of indirect qualitative ELISA, a species-specific
primary antibody is used to detect antigens within a microplate well. When the
antigen is present, the primary antibody binds specifically to it, followed by the
specific attachment of an anti-species secondary antibody, conjugated with an
enzyme. This dual binding enhances specificity and facilitates signal amplification.
The procedure concludes with the introduction of an enzyme substrate, and any
observed colorimetric change signifies the presence of the antigen in the sample,
thereby indicating infection.
In this experiment, a single infected sample has been intentionally introduced within
our class setting. To simulate the transmission of infection, individual samples from
the class have been mixed three times with different individuals. Subsequently, the
indirect ELISA method was utilised to analyse these samples in conjunction with a
positive control and a negative control. The objective is to determine whether the test
sample has been infected or not. A infected sample will correspond to the positive
control, while a uninfected sample will be in line with the negative control.
Methods/Methodology
Mixing of "Bodily Fluid"
To stimulate disease transmission, the test sample, was mixed with three different
partners. The test sample was sequentially shared with three individuals: Susan R.,
Neil Swan, and Emma Whelan.
Indirect Qualitative ELISA
The Indirect ELISA procedure was performed using a 12-well microplate strip, with
triplicate samples of 50 µl each, including the positive control (+), negative control (-),
the Pei Yi sample (PY), and the Susan R. sample (S).
