ELISA test is better than a Rapid or an RT-PCR test
The RT-PCR, ELISA, and RAPID tests are various diagnostic methods used to detect pathogens or antibodies to the pathogen based on the disease life cycle. The Three Techniques have their own unique sets of advantages and disadvantages, and hence it is vital to make the right choice for effective diagnosis.
The RT-PCR, a molecular diagnostic test, is the Gold standard for detecting Active Infections/viruses. It is minimally invasive and provides highly accurate results. On the flip side, this test requires a specialized lab setup involving equipment and Biosafety infrastructure, which can have prohibitive costs. It also requires a skilled workforce to perform the test procedure.
The ELISA ( Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) is a screening test used to detect the presence of antigen and/or antibodies against pathogen inpatient Serum/Plasma. It can detect both recent and past infection and have been widely used globally for more than two decades. ELISA tests are more sensitive and specific since they use Enzyme substrate reaction and include washing steps to remove non -specific antibodies present in patient specimens. Labs equipped with ELISA Reader and washer prefer processing many samples in a 96 microwell plate with a turnaround time of 2 -3 hours for 90+ samples. In addition, one can perform an array of tests, infectious, biochemical markers, cardiac markers, cancer markers, etc . on one ELISA Reader simultaneously, thus making it cost-effective and simultaneously providing a high degree of reliability and accuracy in the test results.
The Rapid tests are visual tests with a user-friendly test procedure, no additional equipment requirements, and can be performed by low to the medium-skilled workforce. They generally provide the test results within 3 -20 minutes. These tests are ideal for a small setup with a low patient load and are well suited for resource-limited settings. Unfortunately, the most commercially available Rapid tests are card tests based on lateral flow technology. They are prone to sensitivity and specificity issues due to the limitation of the technology used to develop these test kits.
J Mitra & Co. offers ELISA & Rapid test kits for HIV, HCV, HBV, Dengue, Malaria, chikungunya, Covid, Celiac, Thyroid profile, Vitamin D, B12, PCT, CRP, and many more tests in –vitro diagnostic test kits.
All ELISA and Rapid test kits are indigenously developed, have user-friendly test procedures, excellent sensitivity and specificity, and good Precision in test results.Considering the given facts, ELISA tests offer many advantages over Rapid and RT –PCR tests test kits in terms of affordability, Reliability, Turnaround time, and Availability of test kits for timely diagnosis and good clinical outcome.