What is an antibody titer?

When examining animals, owners are sometimes faced with a concept such as antibody titer. It is often used in the context of suspected infectious diseases, such as parvovirus or leptospirosis. First, we propose to understand what antibodies are. They are large spherical proteins found in blood plasma. Antibodies are secreted by plasma cells of the immune system to protect the body from cells of various pathogens.

The antibody titer makes it possible to analyze the number and variety of antibodies in the blood of the animal, as well as the associated immune potential. To measure the titer of antibodies allows a special method of diagnosing the blood of the animal - enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Why is an antibody test performed?

The procedure is needed to determine if the patient has had an infection. Negative analysis for specific antibodies is an indication for vaccination. The method allows the veterinarian to understand the following:

1. Has the infection already been transmitted or is it still ongoing?
2. Is there an immune response to the tissues of the animal's body.
3. Is there a strong enough immune response against, for example, a virus.

The main advantages of the diagnostic method: a wide range of infections detected by testing, speed and relative ease of testing in the laboratory.

The results of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Antigens are detected by the test system both in the case of continuation of the pathogen and when the pathogen has been neutralized after therapy. But it should be borne in mind that a negative result in the detection of antibodies to antigens of the pathogen is not always a guarantee of animal health.

This is because the immune response takes time to form. Because of this, there is a common recommendation to do an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay at least twice: the next procedure should be performed 2-3 weeks after the first.