Table 4. Advantages and disadvantages of different sero-surveillance platforms.

Platform		Advantages		Disadvantages		Comments
ELISA		• Established and widely used technology • Efficient, high-throughput • Relatively low cost • Limited technical expertise required • Semi-automated technology available • Competition ELISAs possible to measure antibodies to epitopes or alleles		• Typically tests only a single antigen at a time • Requires laboratory facilities		• Suitable for reference lab application • May be adaptable for use by survey teams with portable equipment
Bead arrays		• Efficient, high-throughput • Able to test multiple antigen-specific responses simultaneously		• Relatively costly • Requires a high level of technical expertise • Requires laboratory facilities • Extensive optimization of antigen-coated beads required		• Suitable for reference lab application
Protein microarrays		• Evaluate antibodies to an extensive array of antigens		• Costly • Requires a very high level of technical expertise • Requires laboratory facilities • Requires production of a large number of antigens		• Currently being used for antigen discovery • May be suitable for reference lab application
Point-of-care test		• Allows testing in communities or at health facilities • Result within minutes provides real-time data to staff and participants • Low cost • No technical expertise or lab facilities required		• Limited to testing two or three antigens • Semi-quantitative only • Lower sensitivity than other methods		• Suitable for community-based screening and reference lab application

ELISA, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.