A large epidemiological study design using serology or antibody tests to identify people in a population or community that have developed antibodies against infectious disease.
Serology tests are blood tests that can be used to identify whether people have been exposed to a particular pathogen (such as SARS-CoV-2) in the past and can give greater detail into the prevalence of a disease, meaning how widespread it is at a given time in a population.
TIP: Remember the difference between RT-PCR tests, which indicate whether a person is currently infected with a virus and antibody serology tests which show if a person was infected in the past and subsequently recovered.
Categories:
Epidemiology Infectious Disease Tests
Cross-reference:
Antibody TestsAntibodyPathogenCOVID-19RT-PCR (real time – reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction)