Microbiology & Infectious Diseases

Infection and Immunity

Immunology is the branch of science concerned with the various aspects related to immune system, innate and acquired immunity and immunology also deals with laboratory techniques involving the interaction of antigens with specific antibodies. Microbiology is the branch of science dealing with the study of various microorganisms. Microbiology involves the study of their structure and various physical, chemical and biological characteristics pertaining to their capability to cause a disease. Medical diagnosis is the process of determining which disease or condition explains a person's symptoms and signs. Laboratory tests may identify organisms directly (e.g., visually, using a microscope, growing the organism in culture) or indirectly (e.g., identifying antibodies to the organism). General types of tests include Microscopy, Culture, Immunologic tests (agglutination tests such as latex agglutination, enzyme immunoassays, Western blot, precipitation tests, and complement fixation tests) and Nucleic acid/ Non-nucleic acid –based identification methods. Sub-types of diagnoses include: Clinical, Laboratory, Radiology, Principal and admitting diagnosis. Advanced methods have been implemented to diagnose the infection in any part of the body. Examples include Biomarkers/ ELISA test/ Chest X ray/ Skin biopsy/ Tympanometry and Tympanocentesis.