ELISA for Detection of Viruses, Fungi, Bacteria, MLOs, Mycotoxins and Hormones - ELISA is based on the ability of low molecular weight antibodies to couple with enzymes, to produce enzymatically active immunological conjugates. This allows the detection of immune reaction with histochemical staining techniques, because the antibody component is involved in immune reaction and the conjugated enzyme can be used for staining reaction utilizing appropriate substrate.

Using this principle, ELISA was initially developed in 1971 independently by two groups (Engvall and Perlmann; Weeman and Schuurs). Later, Vollar et al. (1976) and Clark and Adams (1977) utilized ELISA for detection of virus infection. (In India Usha M. Joshi of Bombay also utilized it for detection of viruses).