SOME OF THE TESTS PERFORMED AT AUSTRALIAN BIOLOGICS
For more information
on testing performed by Australian Biologics Pty Ltd., please follow the links
below:
This test is an examination of a dried blood preparation.
The initial use of this form of clot retraction testing was as a bedside ESR
(Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate) and so as in the use of the ESR, the ESR is
used to demonstrate the presence of inflammation and/or tissue destruction.
The test is non-specific, and therefore not diagnostic for any particular organ
disease or injury. However, inflammatory, neoplastic, infectious and necrotic
diseases increase the protein (mainly fibrinogen) content of plasma, inducing
a discernible change to the sedimentation rate and therefore an increase in
ESR (McKenzie S.B. "Textbook of Hematology" Williams & Wilkins 1996 pg 609)).
Further research in prior years on this specific form of testing was carried
out mostly as an aid in the detection of malignancies. Other research showed
further uses for this form of testing.
Bolen as an oncologist at Massachusetts General Hospital in 1942 developed this
test with scientists such as O. Cameron Gruner of Magill University Canada,
utilising it through the '40s. Work on interpretation of clotting patterns was
continued by Drs. Heitan, LeGarde and Bradford, with the test often referred
to as the HLB test. The test is well known in the United States and Europe.
Live Blood Analysis is another name for the examination of
a wet preparation of blood. The observation of living blood cells has been carried
out since the early years of microscopy. In the second half of the 19th century,
the use of dyes for staining only poorly visible intracellular structures (nucleus
and others) became increasingly common. Modern microscopes of course give much
higher magnification than was possible in the 19th Century.
In modern routine pathology, living blood is rarely examined. However, the use
of live blood testing has continued in many areas. In particular in Germany,
live blood examination has persisted, and over the last twenty to thirty years
there has been an increase in this type of blood testing in many countries such
as the United States, England etc.
Utilising temperature changes as a means of detecting illness
is certainly not new. Hippocrates suggested that illnesses of varying organs
could be detected by spreading mud over a patient and observing the differing
rates of drying. The modern western medical use of thermography began in 1957
when Lawson (Lawson F. "Implications of Surface temperatures in the diagnosis
of Breast Cancer" Canadian Medical Assoc. Journal 75:309-310 (1956)) found
that the temperature of the skin over a breast tumour was hotter than the temperature
of normal tissue, and in 1982, the US FDA approved thermography as an adjunctive
test for breast cancer screening.
The use of thermography to monitor areas of increased heat is advocated by the
US Department of Health and Human Services as a means of prevention of injury
and as a way of recognizing patient overuse and injury risk. This is of particular
use for diabetic patients as well as Hansen's disease patients, who often sustain
repetitive mechanical injury from use of insensitive extremities.
http://bphc.hrsa.gov/nhdp/Thermography_OT.htm
There are several methods for measurement of skin temperature, which include
contact thermography and infrared digital thermography.
Candida infections are often difficult to diagnose, as clinical symptoms are vague and not easily differentiated from those caused by other infectious agents. A number of means of diagnosing Candida infections have been developed, with the detection of serum antibodies to purified Candida antigens - as performed in this laboratory - being a particularly useful tool in the detection of Candidiasis.
Often the therapy for Candidiasis, or thrush as it is commonly known, will positively and dramatically improve a patient's quality of life and their level of comfort.
DNA testing uses Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technology to detect certain pathogenic and opportunistic microorganisms present in blood. PCR, whether in a single assay or multiple assay (multiplex PCR) has allowed single detection or simultaneous detection and differentiation of multiple species of organisms in which the level of sensitivity and specificity is still unmatched by any other laboratory procedures. PCR assay has made it possible for clinicians to rapidly screen individuals for potentially pathogenic organisms such as Mycoplasma, eliminating the long agonizing waiting time.
Mycoplasma species have been implicated in a number of critical conditions. These include chronic fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and gulf war syndrome. Community-acquired respiratory tract infections, and in particular atypical pneumonia, may be caused by either Chlamydia Pneumoniae or Mycoplasma Pneumoniae. One form possibly resulting in the need for hospitalization whereas the other may be responsible for long lasting disease. Rapid identification is recommended in order to administer the specific treatment required.
In Korea, 23 out of 56 samples collected from chronic gastritis patients were found positive for human mycoplasmas, which included: M. facium, M. fermentans, M. orale, M. salivarium and M. spermatophilum. Quick and accurate identification of the pathogen involved in the infection will result in more specific and better treatment.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), anorexia nervosa and/or tic disorder are currently designated criteria for paediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder (PANDAS) shown to be associated with Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal infection. Group B streptococcai on the other hand, are known as an important cause of sepsis and meningitis in newborns and are associated with disease in pregnant women.
DNA for PCR analysis is extracted from both the RBC and WBC blood components not just white cell nuclei as in other procedures. We offer Panel 1 and Panel 2, which have 5 and 9 test organisms, respectively, carefully calibrated for both specifically and sensitivity.
Food Cytotoxic Testing screens for possible sensitivity reactions to 94 everyday foods, additives, sweeteners and colours. It tests for common intolerance reaction (not allergies) and may allow suspect foods to be eliminated or rotated in the diet.
Chemical Cytotoxic Testing exposes white blood cells to common agricultural, industrial and domestic chemicals and may allow detection of possible trace exposures and avoidance against future contact.
An allergy is the body's excessive reaction to substances (allergens) from its external world. It can vary greatly in degree from life threatening anaphylaxis and asthma, to dermatitis, migranes, eczema, arthritis, a stuffy nose or a bloated abdomen. Even these lesser reactions may tax the immune system and leave us constantly below par.
Scratch Test uses tiny pinpricks of the skin to elicit an IgE allergic reaction. Our testing panel consists of 24 common allergens, including pollen and grass inhalants, animals, dust mites, moulds and foods.
Hair Mineral Analysis may provide a readily available record of the body's nutrient mineral (calcium, copper, zinc, selenium etc) and heavy metals (lead, mercury, aluminium etc) levels and ratios.
Serum mineral levels are measurements of the minerals that are circulating at the moment the sample is taken. Blood serum will maintain its mineral levels at the expense of other organs in the body because of its homeostatic mechanism. Because of this, deficiencies or excesses may be found in the hair first - sometimes months or years before the serum levels become abnormal. A half gram of head or pubic hair is all that is needed.
An effective immune response is dependant on having healthy white cells (Lymphocytes). These cells have the special task of searching out and destroying foreign invaders. many agents reduce the effectiveness of the white cells. These agents may include viruses, bacteria, allergies, heavy metals, tumours and electro-magnetic radiation.The Lymphocyte Viability Test is invaluable as a possible measure of the overall strength of the immune system and therefore may indicate the success of immune based treatment.