immunofluorescence /-flo͝ores″əns/ [L, immunis + fluere, to flow] , a technique used for the rapid identification of an antigen by exposing it to known antibodies tagged with the fluorescent dye fluorescein and observing the characteristic antigen-antibody reaction of precipitation. As the fluorescent antibody reacts with its specific antigen, the precipitate appears luminous in the ultraviolet light projected by a fluorescent microscope. Many of the most common infectious organisms can be identified by this technique. Among them are Candida albicans, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Shigella, Staphylococcus aureus, and several viruses, including rabies virus and many enteroviruses. See also fluorescent antibody test, fluorescent microscopy. −immunofluorescent, adj.
