What is an ELISA HIV Test?
ELISA is an acronym for enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay. The ELISA HIV test is just one of the types of ELISA tests widely used in the scientific community. The ELISA HIV test was one of the original diagnostic tools used for HIV and AIDS. An ELISA test is a test used to determine if there are antibodies or antigens in the body. When conducting an ELISA HIV test, a special slide is prepared that contains HIV antigens. Serum from the person receiving the test is applied to the slide. If the person is HIV positive, their body fluids will contain antibodies for the illness. These antibodies will bind to the antigens. After this process, the slide is washed in a solution that removes everything except the antigen and anything that is bound to the antigen. Then an enzyme is applied to the slide, which creates a chemical reaction. The chemical reaction will cause the sample to change colors if there are antibodies attached to the antigen. Therefore, a change in the color of the slide indic