The monospot test, a form of the heterophile antibody test, is a rapid test for infectious mononucleosis due to Epstein–Barr virus (EBV). It is an improvement on the Paul-Bunnell test. The test is sensitive for heterophile antibodies produced by the human immune system in response to EBV infection. Commercially available test kits are 70-92% sensitive and 96-100% specific. It will generally not be positive during the 4-6 week incubation period before the onset of symptoms. It will also not generally be positive after active infection has subsided, even though the virus persists in the same cells in the body for the rest of the carrier's life.
Read more about Heterophile Antibody Test: Process, Indications, Usefulness of The Test
Famous quotes containing the word test:
“Tried by a New England eye, or the more practical wisdom of modern times, they are the oracles of a race already in its dotage; but held up to the sky, which is the only impartial and incorruptible ordeal, they are of a piece with its depth and serenity, and I am assured that they will have a place and significance as long as there is a sky to test them by.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)