Infectious disease agents

Ivnitski, D. O Neil, D. J. Gattuso, A. Schlicht, R. Calidonna, M. Fisher, R. Nucleic acid approaches for detection and identification of biological warfare and infectious disease agents. BioTechniques 2003,35, 862-869. 

However, it is conceivable that arrays could be developed with ligands for a range of infectious disease agents and microbial toxins, allowing for rapid serodiagnosis in a clinical setting. 

In some instances in which infectious disease agent is endemic and vaccination, especially of newborns, is indicated, it may prove difficult or impossible to differentiate the beneficial effects of vaccination because residual levels of antibody may be present in nonvaccinated stock. Such factors must be borne in mind when assays are developed to determine the immunological status of large groups of mammals. 

It is beyond the scope of this book to catalog the humoral immune responses produced in mammals in response to the variety of infectious disease agents... 

Helminth parasites are the most complex infectious disease agents infecting mammals, and hence the host s antibody responses to them are the most diverse. Unlike other infectious diseases, most helminths do not divide in the body of the final host, and therefore the antigenic load is dependent on the infective dose. Exceptions to this are Echinococcus spp. and Strongyloides spp. Antibodies are produced against antigens present within helminths (somatic... 

One function of antibodies is to mop up free antigen and cause the antigen/ antibody complex produced to be removed from the system, normally by phagocytic cells. It is important to consider the kinetics of antigen and antibody appearance and disappearance when dealing with antibody responses to infectious disease agents. 

One major problem is that individuals in an endemic area have had previous exposure of an infectious disease agent, or antigens thereof, and therefore ascribing an antibody titer or threshold above which protection occurs and below which reinfection occurs is difficult, if not impossible. 

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