The CHILDx Web site is intended for physicians, clinicians, and other trade professionals. We recommend patients discuss questions and concerns regarding laboratory testing with their physician. The American Association for Clinical Chemistry has prepared a Web site regarding clinical lab testing that is expressly intended for patients and the general public. The address for the site is: www.labtestsonline.org.

Laboratory Medicine

• What may account for false-positive serologic tests?
• How is a reference interval determined?

Celiac Disease

• What serologic assays are available to screen for celiac disease?

Hepatitis

• What is the risk of hepatitis C virus transmission from mother to child?
• What is the risk of maternal transmission of hepatitis C virus to a breast-feeding infant?
• What tests should be ordered for suspected acute viral hepatitis?
• What is the most efficient testing algorithm for diagnosing hepatitis C virus?
• What level of hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) is considered protective after immunization?

Herpes Simplex Virus

• Can serology differentiate between herpes simplex viruses (HSV) type 1 and type 2?

HIV Disease

• What is the significance of an HIV Western blot indeterminate result?

Infectious Mononucleosis

• Are heterophile antibodies specific for infectious mononucleosis?
• What serologic tests (other than heterophile antibodies) can be used to diagnose infectious mononucleosis?

Wilson's Disease

• What chemistry tests are used to diagnose Wilson's disease?