ABSTRACT
The role of automation in antigen detection may be subdivided according to the phases of the antigen detection process and the reasons for using an automated procedure. The four phases of the antigen detection process are preparation and dilution of the samples and reagents, separation of unbound reagents from products detection of antigen-antibody complexes, and data analysis of the signal generated by antigen recognition. The reproducibility of automated assays, there are three other practical considerations regarding automated methods for antigen detection. First, improved reproducibility accrues mainly from automatic operation of the process, not automated data analysis. Second, although automation of an antigen test stresses different aspects of the antigen detection process than those stressed by manual methods, attention to detail is vital to success. Third, although some clinical workers have the technical background necessary to adapt components to a particular antigen detection task, most do not. In infectious disease diagnosis, antigen tests are usually applied to body fluid specimens.
