What tests will come under the Widal blood test?
Widal Blood tests are one of the old and popular tests used to diagnose typhoid fever, an enteric fever caused by Salmonella Typhi. It checks the presence of anti-typhoid antibodies in a patient's blood. Antibodies are specific proteins that our body produces against invading pathogens.
Enteric fever is a potentially fatal illness caused by infection with Salmonella Typhi, which is typically transferred through contaminated food and beverages. It is characterized by high fever, exhaustion, Headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation, weight loss, and a rash known as "rose spots."
The patient's serum is examined for O and H antibodies against various antigen suspensions. The Widal test report might help you learn more about your disease kind. The Widal test is a simple and inexpensive test that takes only a few minutes and aids in detecting salmonella antibodies in a patient's serum.
What is Blood Widal Test?
The Widal blood test means a screening test that detects, diagnoses, and tracks fever and other salmonella illnesses. It is done to detect antibodies to the infection. The following conditions are reasons why a patient should have a Widal test. Fever with chills, Fatigue, Headache, Abdominal pain, Constipation, Weight loss, and Rash patches are some of the symptoms.
The findings of the tests are either positive or negative, depending on the occurrence of Agglutination. If Agglutination happens in less than a minute, the outcome is Positive (+ve). If Agglutination does not occur, the result is negative (-ve).
When To Go For the Widal Test?
Georges Ferdinand Widal invented the Widal test in 1896. According to numerous experts worldwide, the Widal test is a highly reliable test that aids in diagnosing enteric fever, generally known as typhoid. Salmonella antibody appears in serum at the end of the first week and increases dramatically during the third week of endemic fever.
O agglutinins are commonly detectable 6–8 days with acute typhoid fever and H agglutinins after 10–12 days. To demonstrate a growing antibody titer, at least two sera specimens must be tested at equal 7 to 10 days intervals. Salmonella antigen suspensions can be used for slide and tube procedures.
How to Prepare for a Widal Test?
There is no need to prepare for these tests; however, wearing a short-sleeved or sleeveless shirt or T-shirt will make it easier for the professionals to collect blood from the veins.
The Procedure of a Widal Test
Before Widal test blood collection, the region is cleaned with an antiseptic, and a tourniquet is wrapped to apply pressure on the hand. A blood sample for Widal test is extracted and collected in a vial after placing a needle into a vein. The collected sample is placed in a blood container containing an appropriate preservative/clot activator/anticoagulant. The tourniquet is now removed, and the patient is given cotton balls to stop any further bleeding.
The Widal test can be performed in two kinds of ways:
- Slide Widal test
- Tube Widal test
- Slide Agglutination Widal Test
A slide Widal test is increasingly prevalent in diagnostic laboratories since it produces results quickly. The slide agglutination Widal test can be conducted in two ways:
Qualitative Slide Test
This test finds the presence or absence of Salmonella antigens that cause enteric fever. It is a rapid and straightforward procedure, but it does not allow us to measure antigen levels.
Quantitative (Semi-quantitative) Slide Test
This test determines the number of antigens present in a serum sample. It is only done if the qualitative test results are positive.
Tube Agglutination Test (Quantitative Tube Test)
This test identifies the presence of antibodies and determines the antibody titer. This test is carried out in glass tubes. Initially, other tubes were employed, such as Dreyer's tubes for H antigen and Felix's tubes for O antigen. Kahn tubes or primary test tubes are commonly used in current testing processes.
Widal Test Results and Normal Range
A serum sample with an O agglutination titer of 1:80 or higher and an H agglutination titer of 1:160 or higher indicates current infection. A fourfold or more significant increase in titers in two blood tests collected ten days apart supports the diagnosis. Please remember that various labs may use different reference values when interpreting the Widal test.
A positive test (presence of Salmonella antigen) = Agglutination within a minute
Negative test (absence of Salmonella antigen) = No agglutination
You can interpret the blood widal test results with just these below lines.
Type : Widal Test
Gender : UNISEX
Age-Group : All age groups
Value : Negative
The Final Word
Your doctor suspects typhoid fever based on your medical and travel history symptoms. Salmonella typhi is typically identified in a culture of your blood or another body fluid or tissue. The Widal Blood slide test is widely used to determine the presence of salmonella typhi in the blood. For more than a century, the Widal blood test has been in practice to aid in the diagnosis of typhoid disease. Widal Blood tests are one of the old and popular tests used to diagnose typhoid fever, an enteric fever caused by Salmonella Typhi. It checks the presence of anti-typhoid antibodies in a patient's blood. Antibodies are specific proteins that our body produces against invading pathogens.
Enteric fever is a potentially fatal illness caused by infection with Salmonella Typhi, which is typically transferred through contaminated food and beverages. It is characterized by high fever, exhaustion, Headache, abdominal pain, diarrhea or constipation, weight loss, and a rash known as "rose spots."
The patient's serum is examined for O and H antibodies against various antigen suspensions. The Widal test report might help you learn more about your disease kind. The Widal test is a simple and inexpensive test that takes only a few minutes and aids in detecting salmonella antibodies in a patient's serum.
What is Blood Widal Test?
The Widal blood test means a screening test that detects, diagnoses, and tracks fever and other salmonella illnesses. It is done to detect antibodies to the infection. The following conditions are reasons why a patient should have a Widal test. Fever with chills, Fatigue, Headache, Abdominal pain, Constipation, Weight loss, and Rash patches are some of the symptoms.
The findings of the tests are either positive or negative, depending on the occurrence of Agglutination. If Agglutination happens in less than a minute, the outcome is Positive (+ve). If Agglutination does not occur, the result is negative (-ve).
When To Go For the Widal Test?
Georges Ferdinand Widal invented the Widal test in 1896. According to numerous experts worldwide, the Widal test is a highly reliable test that aids in diagnosing enteric fever, generally known as typhoid. Salmonella antibody appears in serum at the end of the first week and increases dramatically during the third week of endemic fever.
O agglutinins are commonly detectable 6–8 days with acute typhoid fever and H agglutinins after 10–12 days. To demonstrate a growing antibody titer, at least two sera specimens must be tested at equal 7 to 10 days intervals. Salmonella antigen suspensions can be used for slide and tube procedures.
How to Prepare for a Widal Test?
There is no need to prepare for these tests; however, wearing a short-sleeved or sleeveless shirt or T-shirt will make it easier for the professionals to collect blood from the veins.
The Procedure of a Widal Test
Before Widal test blood collection, the region is cleaned with an antiseptic, and a tourniquet is wrapped to apply pressure on the hand. A blood sample for Widal test is extracted and collected in a vial after placing a needle into a vein. The collected sample is placed in a blood container containing an appropriate preservative/clot activator/anticoagulant. The tourniquet is now removed, and the patient is given cotton balls to stop any further bleeding.
The Widal test can be performed in two kinds of ways:
- Slide Widal test
- Tube Widal test
- Slide Agglutination Widal Test
A slide Widal test is increasingly prevalent in diagnostic laboratories since it produces results quickly. The slide agglutination Widal test can be conducted in two ways:
Qualitative Slide Test
This test finds the presence or absence of Salmonella antigens that cause enteric fever. It is a rapid and straightforward procedure, but it does not allow us to measure antigen levels.
Quantitative (Semi-quantitative) Slide Test
This test determines the number of antigens present in a serum sample. It is only done if the qualitative test results are positive.
Tube Agglutination Test (Quantitative Tube Test)
This test identifies the presence of antibodies and determines the antibody titer. This test is carried out in glass tubes. Initially, other tubes were employed, such as Dreyer's tubes for H antigen and Felix's tubes for O antigen. Kahn tubes or primary test tubes are commonly used in current testing processes.
Widal Test Results and Normal Range
A serum sample with an O agglutination titer of 1:80 or higher and an H agglutination titer of 1:160 or higher indicates current infection. A fourfold or more significant increase in titers in two blood tests collected ten days apart supports the diagnosis. Please remember that various labs may use different reference values when interpreting the Widal test.
A positive test (presence of Salmonella antigen) = Agglutination within a minute
Negative test (absence of Salmonella antigen) = No agglutination
You can interpret the blood widal test results with just these below lines.
Type : Widal Test
Gender : UNISEX
Age-Group : All age groups
Value : Negative
The Final Word
Your doctor suspects typhoid fever based on your medical and travel history symptoms. Salmonella typhi is typically identified in a culture of your blood or another body fluid or tissue. The Widal Blood slide test is widely used to determine the presence of salmonella typhi in the blood. For more than a century, the Widal blood test has been in practice to aid in the diagnosis of typhoid disease.
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