Cellular Laboratory

ELISPOT

Summary

Science

Clinical

Background

Tuberculosis (TB) is an important infectious disease in many third world countries but was not considered to be a problem in the UK. A recent upsurge in the number of cases in the UK, partly due to immigration from countries where TB is endemic, has made it a growing concern for the healthcare service. TB infection can be diagnosed by the microbiology department by culturing the organism from patient sputum however this technique is tricky, time consuming and does not always work. Using a cellular assay called an ELISPOT the immunology laboratory can now play a leading role in TB diagnosis. In this test the blood cells are exposed to inactive fragments of TB. This activates the memory cells to secrete proteins that can be measured in the laboratory.

• Science