RE: India Decide by Friday25 Jul 2020 15:06
In April, the central government had procured 5.5 lakh rapid antibody testing kits from China. The Maharashtra government procured 75,000 for testing. But before the process could begin, the Central government withdrew the kits after some of them were found faulty.
According to experts, although antibody testings don’t give 100% accurate results, it can be useful to understand the pattern of the spread of the virus and surveillance among the population. “Antibody testing gives false reports too, but it can help in analysis of a larger community. It is not a perfect science, but can be helpful in a population with a large number of asymptomatic patients,” said Dr Om Srivastava, city epidemiologist and a part of the state task force for Covid-19.
Antigen and antibody test
Antigens are molecules that stimulate an immune response. Antibodies (immunoglobulins ) are Y-shaped proteins produced by the immune system in response to exposure to antigens. The first antibody produced is Immunoglobulin M (IgM). After seven-14 days of the exposure, the second antibody, Immunoglobulin G (IgG) is produced, which stays in the body for a long period.
An antibody test reveals if a person was exposed to an infection, by detecting the type of antibodies in the blood. If the test is done too early, before the antibodies are produced, the result may be negative. An antigen test reveals if a person is currently infected with a pathogen.
Once the infection is cured, the antigen disappears, but antibodies remain in the body for a month. “As it is not a diagnostic tool, it will mostly be used among doctors, volunteers who are involved in screening, treatment and contact-tracing,” said Dr Ranjit Mankeshwar, JJ Hospital’s dean.
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