Compare and contrast viral neutralization and viral hemagglutination tests.
What will be an ideal response?
Viral neutralization tests detect the presence of neutralizing antibodies in patient serum specific for a suspect virus. Patient serum is mixed with a solution of test virus and the mixture is added to a culture of susceptible cells. If the serum contains anti-viral neutralizing antibodies the virus will infect few or none of the susceptible cells (positive result). If the serum does not contain neutralizing antibodies, the virus will infect and kill cells, and the damage and destruction of the cells (cytopathic effect) will be visible (negative result).
Viral hemagglutination tests can be used to detect antibodies against viruses that do not produce cytopathic effects. Many viruses can clump red blood cells-hemagglutination-and infections with hemagglutinating viruses can be diagnosed with this alternative test. Patient serum is mixed with the test virus then mixed with red blood cells. If the RBCs clump, the serum did not contain antibodies against the test virus (negative result). No RBC agglutination indicates the serum contained antibodies against the virus (positive result).
You might also like to view...
Which of the following is a fairly reliable method of characterizing strains of S. aureus?
A. Complement fixation B. Protein fingerprint C. Genome typing D. LPS pattern
The bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis can withstand heat, dryness, and toxic chemicals that would kill most other bacteria. This indicates that it is probably able to form a protective structure called ____________.
A. endotoxins B. pseudopodia C. endospores D. cellulose
Chemicals called un-couplers can make membranes permeable to small molecules and ions. What effect might un-couplers have on photosynthesis?
A. Increased ATP production because cyclic electron transport would increase B. Decreased ATP production because the proton-gradient would increase C. Decreased ATP production because the proton-gradient would decrease D. Decreased NADPH production because the proton-gradient would increase E. Decreased NADPH production because the proton-gradient would decrease
The Human Genome Project has the potential to ________
A) lead to treatments for inherited diseases B) lead to treatments for contagious diseases C) increase our understanding of the historical relationships among species D) play a role in all of the choices listed here