You design an ELISA to detect Clostridium perfringens in patients with food pois

Question

You design an ELISA to detect Clostridium perfringens in patients with food poisoning. You are labor made aware of an outbreak of food poisoning caused by Your co-worker suggests that you use your Clostridium ELISA for this new outbreak of food poisoning. You need to explain to her why she is wrong. Why won't your ELISA work in this case? The blocking solution specifically prevents adsorption of C perfringens antigen, not S. antigen. The conjugated enzyme is specific for a C perfringens antigen, not a S. aureus antigen. The detection antibody is specific for a C perfringens antigen, not a S. aureus antigen The TMB is specific for a C perfringens antigen, not a S. aureus antigen Conjugated enzymes are a key component of ELISA. To what are these enzymes conjugated, and why is that important? To the capture antibody so the enzymes are only present when the molecule of interest is also present. To the detection antibody so the enzymes are only present when the molecule of interest is also present To the antigen so the enzymes are only present when the molecule of interest is also present To the plastic of the reaction well so the enzymes can concentrate the molecule of interest

Explanation / Answer

E) The detection antibody is specific for C. perfringens antigen, not a S. aureus antigen.

Because the detection antibody is the primary atibody whose purpose is to identity the specific antigen of interest and has to be able to specifically bind to none other than that specific antigen (here, C. perfringens antigen)

1st option is wrong because a blocking solution something that non-specifically binds to all the proteins present in the wells. This ensures that your rimary antibody does not bind to any non-specific sites.

2nd option is wrong because the conjugated antibody is the secondary antibody which doesnot come in contact with the antigen in question at all. It rather is specific to the Fc arm of the primary/detection antibody, irrespective of the antigen the primary antibody is specific to. Hence if the antigen of interest is present the primary antibody would bind in a specific manner while the secondary would binding the primary and aid its detection.

Not the 4th option. TMB stands for 3,3',5,5'-Tetramethylbenzidine. It is a chromogen whic acts as a substrate for the enzyme which is conjugated with the secondary/conjugated enzyme. It purose is to merely get convert into a pale blue green compound thereby helping the detection of the antigen of interest.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse Y
• Subjects

---

---

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.