You are performing an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect the presence of Zika virus in the blood of a patient exposed to the virus. You have the following reagents at your disposal (in addition to standard supplies such as micropipettors, etc). In paragraph format, describe the steps necessary to perform this ELISA and determine whether the patient was infected. The correct usage and order of the reagents is important. You may not need to use all of the reagents, and there are multiple ways to perform the assay. The test should include a positive and negative control – what samples will you use as controls? In other words, list the procedure.

Materials: patient blood sample; donkey-anti-rabbit IgG antibody; donkey-anti-mouse IgG antibody; donkey-anti-rabbit IgG antibody-HRP; donkey-anti-mouse IgG antibody-HRP; rabbit-anti-NS1 (NS1 is an antigen found on the surface of the Zika virus); purified NS1 protein; 5% BSA blocking buffer; wash buffer; luminol substrate; TMB substrate.

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To test the Zika virus we need to use the sandwich ELISA method for it is designed to detect the pre... View the full answer