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A 25-year-old man visits his primary care physician following several weeks of fever, chills, night sweats, fatigue, and diarrhea. He reports a weight loss of 15 pounds in the past two months. The physician sends the patient to the laboratory to be tested for AIDS. A blood sample is drawn and sent to the Immunology department for testing.
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The Medical Laboratory Technician assigned to the Immunology department will perform a screening test to detect antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the agent that causes AIDS. If the test is positive, he will repeat the test. If the test is positive a second time, the specimen will be tested again by a different method for confirmation. If the patient is positive for HIV, his blood will be tested periodically in this department to monitor his therapy.
Immunology is a rapidly growing field. Immunologic tests are used to diagnose infectious mononucleosis, hepatitis, Lyme disease, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune diseases, and many others. Tests are also performed to match organ donors and recipients so that there will be less chance that the transplanted organ will be rejected.
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