Antibodies are the building blocks of the immune system. They work to keep diseases like Human Immune Virus (HIV) and HIV from invading our body. The HIV virus is one reason for the onset of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in the twenty-first century. A person with AIDS is not able to live a normal life and needs constant medical attention. The first step towards combating AIDS is to detect and to treat the disease. And these days, with the help of modern technology, this process has been made much easier.
When a disease invades your body, the antibodies it attacks serve as the first defense. They help your body develop its own immunity system. The problem arises when the antibodies fail to perform their task. In this case, the infected cells start mounting a simultaneous attack on the healthy cells. The result? Damage to the healthy tissues and cells sets in motion the chain of events leading to AIDS.
Antibodies are tested for in special lab settings. If you wish to know whether or not you have been tested for a particular antibody, you can contact your insurance company or get in touch with your doctor’s office. There are three major laboratories from which you can request your test results: in the US, in Europe and in Japan. The results are mailed to you usually within three months.
There are two types of DNA tests available. One uses DNA samples collected from the living samples of the patient and the other uses extracted DNA from samples of the patient’s blood. Samples taken from the patient’s blood or from elsewhere are processed accordingly. Once processed, the DNA samples are returned to the laboratories and the next step is determined. The DNA test determines if the samples support the existence of a known disease, i.e., whether they are positive for a disease or whether they do not support the existence of the disease.
Antigens, on the other hand, are the substances that cause the body’s immune system to react with live viruses and bacteria. When these substances are mixed with antibodies, the antibodies will search for the virus or bacteria and start destroying it. These tests are used in the diagnosis of patients suspected of having acquired diseases like Human Immune Virus (HIV) and AIDS. In addition to being used in the diagnosis of patients suspected of being infected with HIV/AIDS, antigens have also been found to be useful in detecting leukemia, cancer and lymphoma. Antigens also play an important role in testing samples taken from patients with cancer. For example, DNA tests from living breast cancer tumors have shown significant antigens when compared to controls.
