Immunodiagnosis simplified: memorandum from a WHO meeting

Technologies suitable for the development of simplified immunodiagnostic tests were reviewed by a Working Group of the WHO Advisory Committee on Medical Research in Geneva in June 1983. They included agglutination tests and use of artificial particles coated with immunoglobulins, direct visual detection of antigen-antibody reactions, enzyme-immunoassays, and immunofluorescence and fluoroimmunoassays. The use of monoclonal antibodies in immunodiagnosis and of DNA/RNA probes to identify viruses was also discussed in detail. The need for applicability of these tests at three levels, i.e., field conditions (or primary health care level), local laboratories, and central laboratories, was discussed and their use at the field level was emphasized.