Lecture 18 - Diagnosing Infections Flashcards
Stages of diagnosis
1)
2)
1) Clinical diagnosis, based on history, examination
2) Lab diagnosis
How to make a specific aetiological diagnosis of infection
1)
2)
3)
1) Demonstrate organism, component or product
2) Isolate organism
3) Demonstrate serological response
How are lab tests used?
Often use more than one, as a single positive result doesn’t necessarily prove causation
EG: Isolating S. typhae in someone’s faeces doesn’t prove Salmonella causing typhoid fever, as some people carry S. typhae asymptomatically
What are Ziehl-Neesen stains good for diagnosing?
Open pulmonary TB infections
Microscopy techniques for diagnosis
1)
2)
3)
1) Unstained: wet, phase contrast, darkground
2) Stained: Gram, Ziehl-Neesen
3) Electron microscopy
Organism that phase-contrast microscopy can detect
Giardia lamblia
Organism that Gram staining can detect
Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Organism that Ziehl-Neesen staining can detect
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (or acid-fast bacteria)
How can Giardia lamblia be imaged?
Phase-contrast microscopy
How can Neisseria gonorrhoeae be imaged?
Gram staining
Methods of antigen detection
1)
2)
3)
1) Latex agglutination assay
2) Solid-phase assay
3) Capture assay for antigen
Latex agglutination method
1)
2)
3)
1) Antigen sample is in solution
2) Latex particle with antibodies of known specificity are in solution
3) If antibodies can bind to antigen, then they cross-link, agglutinate
Interpretation of latex agglutination results
Positive result = clear solution (agglutination of latex beads)
Negative result = cloudy solution
Solid-phase assay technique 1) 2) 3) 4)
1) Antigen of interest is fixed on solid phase
2) Known antibody is washed over antigen of interest.
3) Antibody has a marker attached to it, which can be detected (EG: fluorescent probe)
4) If a positive result, probe can be detected on sample
Example of where solid-phase assay is used
To test for T. pallidum
Uses a fluorescent probe (direct immunofluorescence)
Capture assay for antigen technique 1) 2) 3) 4)
1) Capture antibody of known specificity is fixed to solid phase
2) Sample is washed over solid phase. Might include antigen being tested for,
3) Another antibody specific to the antigen of interest is washed over solid phase. Antibody has an attached label (radioactive, fluorescent, etc)
4) If antigen being tested for is present, then it will bind to solid phase antibody and be bound by liquid phase antibody with marker.
When is capture assay for antigen used?
When a sample is messy, with lots of potential antigens
EG: faecal sample, testing for rotavirus, etc
Example of a test for biological activity
Testing for toxin
Toxin presence test
1)
2)
1) Culture of vero cells
2) Incubate vero cells with sample. If eg: verotoxin/shigatoxin is present, then cell death
Toxin type test
1)
2)
3)
1) Incubate culture of vero cells, sample and antibodies against specific toxin (EG: verotoxin)
2) If antibodies are specific to toxin, then toxin is neutralised, cells are not killed.
3) Compare to control without antibodies
Two types of test for nucleic acids
1) Hybridisation (older test)
2) PCR