A novel ultrasound-enhanced latex agglutination test for the detection of antibodies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis in serum.
A novel ultrasound-enhanced latex agglutination test is described for the detection of serum antibodies against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. The use of ultrasound to detect the low level of antibodies in serum enhances the sensitivity of the test. The technique is based on the fact that suspended latex particles become concentrated in an ultrasonic standing wave field, thereby increasing the rate of particle-particle collisions compared to the standard agglutination test procedure. Reactions were performed on piezo-ceramic wafers, which were connected to an oscillator at a frequency of 100 kHz. This method improved sensitivity significantly so that even 20 times diluted serum samples exhibited agglutination, which was clearly visible to the naked eye.
Bhaskar
Sangeeta
S
Product Development Cell, National Institute of Immunology, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, New Delhi-110067, India.
Banavaliker
J N
JN
Bhardwaj
Kameshwar
K
Upadhyay
Pramod
P
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007841:Latex Fixation Tests / Q000379:methods*; D009169:Mycobacterium tuberculosis / Q000276:immunology*; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013010:Sonication; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000097:blood* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology
D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial