In clinical diagnosis, the heterophile antibody test specifically refers to a rapid test for antibodies produced against the Epstein-Barr virus ( EBV ), the causative agent of infectious mononucleosis.
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Adenovirus and " Toxoplasma gondii " ( toxoplasmosis ) infections can cause symptoms similar to infectious mononucleosis, but a heterophile antibody test will test negative and differentiate those infections from infectious mononucleosis.
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In the past, the most common test for diagnosing infectious mononucleosis was the heterophile antibody test, which involves testing heterophile antibodies by agglutination of guinea pig, sheep and horse red blood cells.
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In the past, the most common test for diagnosing infectious mononucleosis was the heterophile antibody test, which involves testing heterophile antibodies by agglutination of guinea pig, sheep and horse red blood cells.
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A few studies on infectious mononucleosis have been conducted in a primary care environment, the best of which studied 700 patients, of which 15 were found to have mononucleosis upon a heterophile antibody test.
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Blocking heterophile antibody interference can be achieved by removal of immunoglobulins from a sample ( such as with PEG ), by modifying antibodies which may be present in a sample or by using buffers to reduce interference.
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Heterophile antibody is a fairly specific but insensitive test for EBV . It is present in 80 % of infected teens and adults, 40 % of all infected children, and only 20 % of infected children under 4.
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This type is also known as sandwich assay as the analyte is " sandwiched " between two antibodies . ) Heterophile antibodies may thus give false positives ( by bridging the capture and signal antibody ) or false negatives ( by blocking one or the other ).
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However, the sensitivity is only moderate, so a negative test does not exclude EBV . This lack of sensitivity is especially the case in young children, many of whom will not produce the heterophile antibody at any stage and thus have a false negative test result.
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The "'mononuclear spot test "'or "'monospot test "', a form of the "'heterophile antibody test "', is a rapid test for infectious mononucleosis due to specific, with a lower sensitivity in the first two weeks after clinical symptoms begin.
