Immunofluorescence

An immunological laboratory technique using fluorescent-dye-labelled antibodies to reveal antigens in test samples. Where the target is present, the sample lights up visibly under the microscope. The method gives food and clinical microbiologists a sensitive way to spot specific pathogens or proteins directly in complex samples, with visual confirmation of exactly where the target sits. Direct and indirect assay formats offer different trade-offs in speed and sensitivity, and the technique remains a staple technique of diagnostic microbiology and food-pathogen confirmation.