Reactor
Reactor (medical)
Reactor (pronounced: ree-ak-tor) is a term used in the medical field to refer to an individual or organism that shows a positive reaction to a diagnostic test. This term is often used in the context of immunology and microbiology, where it can refer to an organism that reacts to a specific antigen or a patient who tests positive for a particular disease.
Etymology
The term 'reactor' is derived from the Latin word 'reagere', which means 'to react'. In the medical context, it was first used in the early 20th century to describe patients who showed a positive reaction to diagnostic tests.
Related Terms
- Antigen: A substance that induces an immune response in the body, especially the production of antibodies.
- Antibody: A blood protein produced in response to and counteracting a specific antigen.
- Immunology: The branch of medicine and biology concerned with immunity.
- Microbiology: The study of microscopic organisms, such as bacteria, viruses, archaea, fungi and protozoa.
- Diagnostic Test: A procedure performed to confirm, or determine the presence of disease in an individual suspected of having the disease.
See Also
- Non-reactor: An individual or organism that does not show a positive reaction to a diagnostic test.
- False Positive: A test result which incorrectly indicates that a particular condition or attribute is present.
- False Negative: A test result that incorrectly indicates that a particular condition or attribute is absent.
External links
- Medical encyclopedia article on Reactor
- Wikipedia's article - Reactor
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