In relation to the systematic review and meta-analysis of Zhenzhen Pan et. al (2023) about the Diagnostic Efficacy of Serological Antibody Detection Tests for Hepatitis Delta Virus.
Hi Ms. Pua!
It was stated in the above mentioned paper that serological testing for anti-HDV antibodies have become widely available due to it being quick, cost-effective and easy to perform. As the study focuses on the diagnostic efficacy of serological testing in terms of sensitivity and specificity to Anti-HDV, the reaction times were not discussed.
Optimization of immunoassays such as ELISA was discussed in an article by Karaszkiewicz (2005) entitled "Critical Factors in Immunoassay Optimization". A major factor in optimization is the choice of antibodies. Monoclonal antibodies are favored more than polyclonal antibodies since they offer higher specificity. Specimen choice is also considered. Crude mixtures like serum is the most commonly used in assays, however, the concentration or titer might be low and are prone to cross-reactivity. Another option is to enrich the target molecule (such as IgM or IgG Abs) or purifying the serum.
Other considerations are the use of solid phase, liquid phase, choice of substrate and solution preparation. All of these aforementioned considerations all contribute to the rapid detection of antigen and antibodies via immunoassays.
Reference: Karaszkiewicz, James. Critical Factors in Immunoassay Optimization (2005).