Why might an ELISA test be indeterminate?

Why might an ELISA test be indeterminate?

An indeterminate result means that the test kit shows a weak positive reaction, perhaps because of an unknown antibody cross-reaction, because of cross-contamination with another person’s sample or because of another technical error.

Can ELISA test give false positive?

False positive results are not uncommon in ELISA for HIV [4], specially in studies of low-risk individuals. In one such study only 13 per cent of ELISA-positive individuals among voluntary blood donors actually had HIV infection [5].

Can Western blot give false positive?

The false-positive prevalence among Western blot positive samples was 4.8%, or 1 of 21 positive tests. The 39 samples that were Western blot positive but lacked the p31 band were classified into true positives or false positives based on PCR results or evolution of the Western blot to develop more positive bands.

What does Western blot test for?

The Western blot test separates the blood proteins and detects the specific proteins (called HIV antibodies) that indicate an HIV infection. The Western blot is used to confirm a positive ELISA, and the combined tests are 99.9% accurate.

Can ELISA be wrong?

Although false negative or false positive results are extremely rare, they may occur if the patient has not yet developed antibodies to HIV or if a mistake was made at the laboratory. When used in combination with the confirmatory Western blot test, ELISA tests are 99.9% accurate.

Is Western blot better than ELISA?

Western blot was more sensitive than ELISA, the difference being most pronounced in sera from patients with neurological disease for four weeks or less. However, the specificity for current disease was not improved by Western blot.

What is the difference between ELISA and Western blot?

ELISA is a simpler and faster procedure than Western blotting, which is less specific. Western Blotting is a highly successful testing method for confirming positive results from ELISA tests. It is also used as a confirmatory test as it is difficult to perform and requires a high skill level.

Can ELISA be used instead of Western blot?

A positive ELISA indicates the presence of antibodies to a virus in the sample. The western blot is more of a qualitative method, sometimes as semi-quantitative on the other hand, The ELISA can be both qualitative and quantitative.