The course gives an understanding of the basic principles of immunology and an introduction to methods used in immunological research. It is taught over a period of 13 weeks.

Therefore the course deals with the application of the principles of immunology to the diagnosis of infectious diseases. The learner will learn the immunological procedures, which have been adapted to convenient commercial test kits for the diagnosis of diseases.

During the first part, a series of lectures give an introduction to Serology and Immunodiagnostics (Part I Antibody–Based Assays). The second part will cover Cellular Immunology Assays. The third part will look at Nucleic Acid–Based Assays and Selected Diagnostic Procedures.

At the end of this course, the student should be able to:

1.            Define the term serology

2.            Explain the immunological principle behind the various immuno–diagnostic techniques

3.            Distinguish between the agglutination and precipitation immunological tests

4.            State the appropriate test samples that are required for each technique

5.            Perform each immunological test individually under the guidance of the instructor

6.     Explain the different tests, kits and assays used for diagnosing major infectious diseases