often accomplish that by diluting the blood and limiting the number of antibodies that interact with the test kit.”
“Are all antibody tests done on diluted blood?”
“Many of them, yes; otherwise there are too many antibodies available to cause false positive reactions.”
“What kind of dilution are we talking about?”
“Usually 5 to 1, 10 to 1, maybe even 20 to 1. You keep experimenting until you find the best balance between too much sensitivity and too much specificity.”
“And what does the HIV ELISA test call for in terms of diluting the patient’s blood?”
“That’s the amazing thing: It calls for 400 to 1 – many times more than any other antibody test I’m aware of.”
“And why do you think it’s necessary to dilute the blood 400 times for an HIV test?”
“I don’t know the exact answer to that question. I assume that there were too many other antibodies reacting
“Are all antibody tests done on diluted blood?”
“Many of them, yes; otherwise there are too many antibodies available to cause false positive reactions.”
“What kind of dilution are we talking about?”
“Usually 5 to 1, 10 to 1, maybe even 20 to 1. You keep experimenting until you find the best balance between too much sensitivity and too much specificity.”
“And what does the HIV ELISA test call for in terms of diluting the patient’s blood?”
“That’s the amazing thing: It calls for 400 to 1 – many times more than any other antibody test I’m aware of.”
“And why do you think it’s necessary to dilute the blood 400 times for an HIV test?”
“I don’t know the exact answer to that question. I assume that there were too many other antibodies reacting