Laurie:
  Both Gudrun and Kemlo are right, let me just try to put it in other way:
   
  1-specificity: your detection system will react ONLY with the targeted component (it is, after all, an antigen/antibody reaction based on the quaternary protein structure of both), and
   
  2-sensitivity: your detection system will detect ALL of the tageted component, even in its lowest concentrations. The more sensitive your detection system is, the less amount of the tageted compound it will be able to detect.
   
  René J.

Laurie Reilly  wrote:
  Histonetters,



Can anyone help with a concise definition of "sensitivity" and "specificity"
as it relates to immunohistochemical reactions.



Thanks and regards, Laurie.



Mr. Laurie Reilly

School of Veterinary & Biomedical Sciences

James Cook University

Townsville 

Queensland 4811

Australia



Phone 07 4781 4468

Fax 07 4779 1526



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