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“TESTs in Life” Disease/condition notes

24-Hr pH monitoring GERD The gold standard in monitoring, not manometry

5HIAA-Test Carcinoid tumor of the  the main metabolite of serotonin

(5-hydrox yindole acetic enterochromaffin  using a 24-hr urine sample with an acidic
acid test) (Kultschizsk y) cells additive to maintain a pH <3
 (NOTE: hyperserotonemia is one of the
MC biological findings in autism)

Allen’s test Patency of ulnar artery  Occlude both ulnar and radial arteries with
the examiner’s fingers and patient’s hand
on a fist
 Release the fist and the ulnar artery
occlusion
 Assess the blood flow to the hand
 A test done before taking ABG

Australia antigen test Hepatitis B

Bence Jones protein test Multiple m yeloma Urine test

Bentonite flocculation Rheumatoid arthritis sensitized bentonite particles are added to

test inactivated serum; if half of the particles are
clumped while the other half remain in suspension,
the test is positive

Bernstein test GERD done to reproduce the pain when the lower
Acid Perfusion test esophagus is irrigated with an acid solution

BLOT TECHNIQUES DNA: Southern blot

RNA: Northern blot
Protein: W estern blot (confirmatory HIV test)

CT s c a n The current definitive test to establish emphysema

Casoni skin test Echinococcus Hydatid cyst

granulosus a test for hydatid infection used in humans;
(Dog tapeworm) the production of a wheal and flare reaction at the
site of intradermal injection of hydatid fluid
indicates infection

Chloride Sweat test Cystic Fibrosis Normal range: 70-90

Complement Fixation Syphillis W asserman reaction:

test the serodiagnosis for syphilis
RPR: rapid serologic test

Dane particle Hepatitis Presence indicates mature hepatitis virion

Dick test Scarlet fever immunity Streptococcus pyogenes: Exotoxin A

two different injections, one into each arm of a

patient:
 one arm: 0.1cc of cultured scarlet fever
toxin; causes redness, tenderness and
swelling (>10mm) after 24 hours; the
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person is not immune to scarlet fever

 the other arm: neutralized toxin; normally
shows no swelling

Schurlz Charton reaction (blanching of rash)

Ds DNA Very specific for SLE

Elek’s test Corynebaterium In vitro virulence test for the toxigenicity of

diphtheria C. diphtheriae

ELISA test Screening test for HIV

FEV/Fi02 ratio Bronchial asthma Decreased in acute asthmatic attack

Frei test Lymphogranuloma Antigen made from sterile pus aspirated from
inguinale previously unruptured abscesses, produced a
reaction in patients with lymphogranuloma
inguinale when injected intradermally

Graham Cellophane test Enterobius vermicularis Specimen to be obtained at close to midnight;

(Scotch tape) preianal area, where female eggs migrate to lay
eggs

Guthrie test PhenylKetonUria  Part of newborn screening

Other tests for PKU:
FeCl3 to detect urinary
phenylpyruvate; a less
reliable screening test
DNA probes facilitate
prenatal diagnosis of
defects in phenylalanine
hydrox ylase or
dihydrobiopterin
 Test at 48-72 hours from birth
 Presence of PAH gene
 agar gel plate containing Bacillus
subtilis and B-2-thienylalanine
 agar gel is able to support bacterial growth
but the B-2-thienylalanine inhibits bacterial
growth
 In the presence of extra phenylalanine
leached from the impregnated filter paper
disk, the inhibition is overcome and the
bacteria grow.
 The amount of bacterial growth, measured
as the diameter of the colony, is roughly
proportional to the amount of
phenylalanine in the serum

Harada Mori Culture test Strongyloides a combination of filter paper, fecal specimen, and
stercoralis tap water placed in a centrifuge tube; provides an
environment for nematode eggs to hatch and
larvae to develop

Hemoglobin Bart Hydrops fetalis Presence of 4 gamma chains (tetramer)

Test

st
Hepatitis panel HBsAg: the surface antigen; the 1st to surface
HBCAg: the core antigen; the window period
HBeAg: qualitative marker; period of infectivity

Heterophile antibody test Infectious test for specific EBV antibodies: early antigens
(Monospot) mononucleosis (EA), and viral capsid antigen (VCA)
Other antigen: EBNA (EB nuclear antigen)

Indirect In SLE:
Immunofluorescence (+)ANA  anti-nuclear Ab
(+)aENA anti-extractable nuclear Ag
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(+)DsDNA highly specific for SLE

(+)anti-Smith Ab

In drug-induced lupus: anti-Histone Ab

Other markers in SLE also present in the ff:
Systemic sclerosis: Anti-U1 snRNP
SS-A, Sjogren’s: anti-Ro Ab
SS-B, Sjogren’s: anti-La Ab

Kato Katz test Schistosomia japonicum  staining a sieved fecal sample and
examining it under a microscope; messy
 total number of stained eggs are counted
and used to calculate the number of eggs
per gram

M-Fayden’s reaction Anthrax Etiology: Bacillus anthracis

Mammogram Breast CA

Mantoux test Tuberculosis  Intradermal injection

 Site is examined after 48 up to 72 hours
after injection
 (+) if >/=10mm
 If patient has HIV or immunocompromised,
cut off is only 5mm
 Delayed hypersensitivity (Type IV)

Muscle biopsy Trichinella spiralis  The gold standard

 Encysted larvae

Nardi test For dysfunction of the Morphine-neostigmine provocation test

Sphincter of Oddi

Northern blot Blot technique in Uses the RNA component

electrophoresis

Osmotic Fragility test Hereditary Spectrin

spherocytosis Hemolysis
Howell-Jolly bodies
Anemia, hyperbilirubinemia, splenomegaly

Papanicolau smear Cervical cancer HPV 16, 18

Has to begin at age 18, or at the initiation of sexual

intercourse; and then annually

Paul Bunnel test Infectious  Epstein Barr virus

mononuclesois  sensitive for heterophile antibodies
produced by the human immune system in
response to EBV infection
 atypical lymphoc ytosis

Quellung reaction Streptococcus Bacterial capsular swelling and opacity caused by

pneumonia the binding of antibodies to their capsule
Klebsiella pneumonia (polysaccharide antigen), which makes them
Haemophilus influenzae visible under the microscope
Neisseria meningitidis
Salmonella “Some Killers Have Nice Shiny Bodies”
Group B Strep
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Rapid Plasma Reagent syphillis Screening test

Rapid Urease test PUD Most specific (95-100%) invasive diagnostic

procedure using endoscopy with biopsy

Reid Index Chronic bronchitis

SARS Test RT-PCR: rapid and sensitive

ELISA: sensitive, but not rapid

Schilling’s test Vit. B12 absorption Strict vegetarians

Pernicious anemia
Lack of Castle’s Intrinsic factor

Schirmer’s test Sjogren’s syndrome

Secretin Stimulation Gastrinoma Most sensitive and specific gastrin provocative test
(Provocative) test (Zollinger-Ellison Confirmatory test in the diagnosis
syndrome)

String test Giardiasis  swallow a string with a weighted gelatin

(duodenal parasite test) capsule on the end; 4 hours later it is
pulled back out
 Any bile, blood, or mucus attached to the
string is examined under the microscope
for cells and parasites or parasite eggs

Southern Blot Uses DNA component

Transesophageal Infective Endocarditis The gold standard in the diagnosis

2DEcho

Typhoid screening Bone Marrow aspiration: the gold standard

st
1 week: blood
nd
2 week: urine
rd
3 week: stool
DOC: Ceftriaxone
nd
2 line drug: Chloramphenicol

Urine FeCl3 test PKU Less reliable test than Guthrie

Vanillymandelic acid Pheochromocytoma, Test for presence of urine metanephrine

(VMA) test Neuroblastoma

W estern Blot Confirmatory test for

HIV

W hiff’s test Bacterial vaginosis KOH (Potassium wet mount) Test

W ill give off a characteristic “fishy odor”
Presence of “clue cells”
Amsel criteria: ph >4.5