It's been over a year since COVID-19 made its way to every corner of the world. At the moment, there are two main types of COVID-19 Rapid Test Kit commonly used to detect infections. Diagnostic tests are done to confirm if you currently have the virus and antibody (serology) tests help to identify people who have previously been infected with the virus by looking for antibodies in their immune system.
Diagnostic tests (the sample is usually taken with a swab from the nose/mouth)
Diagnostic tests are the Antigen Test Kit and PCR Rapid Test Kit(Polymerase Chain Reaction) that look for active coronavirus infection in the mucous or saliva. ART tests look for the coating or proteins from the virus while PCR tests detect nucleic acid (RNA), the genetic material of the virus. RNA tests are very sensitive and can remain positive even after the person has gotten better and is no longer infectious.
Antibody tests (also known as serology tests – blood tests that look for antibodies in your blood)
Antibody Test Kits look for coronavirus antibodies in people who have been infected with the virus. Antibodies are proteins made by the immune system to fight infections. The timing and type of antibody test affects accuracy as it can take 1 – 3 weeks after infection for your body to develop enough antibodies to be detected in a test. Antibody tests are a good way to determine if you have had significant exposure to the virus in the past but should not be used to diagnose someone with an active infection, due to the delay in production of antibodies after exposure to the virus.
Except for these test kits, we also have different types of test kits like IVD Rapid Test Kit and other medical devices like analyzer.
Immunofluorescence Analyzer is a analyzing instrument intended for use by healthcare professionals to aid in the diagnosis of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, pregnancy, infection, diabetes, renal injury and cancer.
This analyzer uses an LED as the excitation light source. The emitted light from the fluorescence dye is collected and converted into an electrical signal. The signal is closely related to the amount of fluorescence dye molecules presented on the spot under examination. After a buffer-mixed sample is applied to the test device, the test device is inserted into the analyzer and the concentration of the analyte is calculated by a pre-programmed calibration process. The Immunofluorescence Analyzer can only accept test devices that are designed especially for this equipment.
Chemiluminescence Analyzer take advantage of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) chemical reactions that emit light as part of that process. This is different from fluorescence or phosphorescence, in that the light produced stems from a chemical reaction rather than by the absorption of photons by the molecule.
Chemiluminescence analyzers use a thermally stabilized photodiode to measure the intensity of the light produced by the reaction of NO with ozone (O3). The intensity is directly proportional to the concentration of NO that was converted to NO2 by the reaction. By converting the NO2 in the gas stream to NO, then reacting it with the O3, the total NOx value can be calculated, allowing speciation of NO, NO2 and total NOx with a single analyzer.