Secondary Antibody

Synonyms

Conjugate, Anti-Immunoglobulin antibodies.

General Information

In indirect serological methods, which are common for serodiagnosis of parasitic infections, the antigen-specific antibody is detected by use of a secondary antibody. The secondary antibody (anti-immunoglobulin antibody) is available as species, class, subclass, or domain-specific. It can be used as a general reagent for screening of all antibodies or as a selective reagent to identify one type of antibody class or molecule. Different degrees of cross-reactions occur at all levels between subclasses, classes, and species and may decrease the specificity of an assay. A reduction of cross-reactions is possible by use of cross-absorbed preparations. The conjugate provided by suppliers should be specific for the stated isotype. Labeling of the secondary antibody is mainly by enzymes (horseradish peroxidase, alkaline phosphatase), fluorochromes (fluorescein, rhodamine), or biotin. The choice of label depends on the...