Immuno-based devices for the detection of microorganisms' antigens remain important tools for the diagnosis and management of infectious diseases. Diagnostic microbiology is widely used to detect microbial antigens using a specific antibody

The diagnostics microbiology laboratory is rapidly evolving with greater demand for more detailed clinically actionable information about pathogenic microbes in a faster time frame. The expansion of molecular methods for organism detection and characterization is poised to change the focus of laboratories from culture-based to genomic-based analysis, and the medical microbiologist will have to guide this transition to ensure that testing supports optimal patient care decisions at their organizations. The shift from targeted pathogen assays to multiplex syndromic-based panels and hypothesis-free unbiased metagenomic analysis will require substantial education and development of best practice guidelines supported by clinical evidence to realize the benefits for patient care.

In this unit, the following methods shall be discussed

Five types of immunoassay, enzyme immunoassay (EIA), radioimmunoassay (RIA), fluoroimmunoassay (FIA), chemiluminescent immunoassay (CLIA) and counting immunoassay (CIA) and Radioimmunoassay