A blood titer is a type of specialized test that determines whether you are immune to a specific disease. Blood titers Peoria for hepatitis B, MMR, and varicella (chickenpox) are the most commonly tested. There are various other titer tests available to check for immunity to a range of diseases. The “titer” part of blood titer is a technical term that includes a concentration of something in general. The term “titer” in the context of blood titers Peoria refers to the amount of a specific subset of antibodies (a special blood protein) in a specified volume of blood. Antibodies are highly specialized proteins in the blood that the immune system creates to protect the body from foreign armies (antigens). Typically, a single antibody class is only effective against one type of antigen. Having sufficient levels of an antibody indicates that you are immune to the disease for which the blood titer was performed.
The most common reason that people need a blood titer Peoria is that they are working or studying in a healthcare environment like a hospital. Healthcare environments are full of all sorts of diseases and one’s risk of getting infected with one of them is much higher than, say, getting a drink at a coffee shop. As part of getting routine vaccinations growing up, many people have already received vaccinations that were designed to protect people against these infections and may already have antibodies in their blood. This is where the blood titer comes into play. The blood titer Peoria can check if your antibody levels are adequate and as a result, you are considered immune for specific types of diseases that you might encounter in a hospital or other healthcare setting. More awareness has been put on making sure people are immune to specific diseases before studying or working in a healthcare setting. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that healthcare facilities put in place pre-vaccination testing and/or vaccination policies for healthcare providers who may be exposed to preventable infections.
A negative blood titer suggests that no immunity exists to the specific disease. In most cases, a person with a negative titer will have to get revaccinated or sign a waiver saying that they understand the risks associated with working in a healthcare environment as it relates to that disease. The best thing to do is to talk to whoever is asking for the titer report and see what next steps they recommend. A positive blood titer means that you are considered immune to the disease being tested. If you are getting the blood titer Peoria for work or school, all you need to do is submit the lab report to whoever is in charge of compliance.
