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Antisera are used to determine which antigens are on the red cells. The test using antisera and the patient's red cells is called the front cell group. The antisera used in the front group are obtained from plasmapheresis of donors stimulated with soluble antigens (A substance from pig mucosa and B substance from horse mucosa). Alternatively, monoclonal antisera can be prepared from cultured cell lines.

1. anti-A (from group B people)
   The government regulations specify that anti-A be coloured blue as a quality control (QC) measure.
2. anti-B (from group A people)
   The government regulations specify that anti-B be coloured yellow as a QC measure.
3. anti-A,B (from group O people)
   Anti-A,B is colourless (no dye is added). Use of anti-A,B varies from lab to lab. Some labs use it for all ABO grouping, and some use it to confirm group O typing. Other blood banks use it selectively as follows:
   1. to group newborns (whose reverse group is unreliable and cannot be used as a check on the front cell group).
   2. whenever discrepancies occur between the front and reverse group, especially discrepancies due to weak or missing antigens. Note: monoclonal anti-A,B is better at detecting weak subgroups than is human anti-A,B.
   3. when investigating suspected hemolytic transfusion reactions.

1. To confirm the front cell group in newborns.
2. To help resolve ABO discrepancies.

Monoclonal Reagents: murine (mouse) monoclonal anti-A and anti-B reagents prepared using hybridoma technology are available as alternatives to human antisera. These monoclonal antisera are very specific and very potent (sensitive). They are useful when investigating both weak and extra antigens, e.g., weak subgroups of A or acquired B phenomenon.

Antisera