 Controversies
| Garratty & Petz (1976) |
Human red blood cells, sensitized with complement in vivo and by a variety of methods in vitro, (e.g. ,blood group antibody, low ionic strength, alternate pathway), were tested with a battery of anti-complement sera (anti-C3, -C3c, -C3d, -C4, -C4c). Red blood cells could be prepared by relatively simple methods to yield cells sensitized with C3 and C4, C3 but not C4, C4 but no C3, C3d with no C3c and C4d with no C4c. These cells are suitable for standarization and quality assurance of antiglobulin sera (AGS).
Anti-C3d is necessary for optimal detection of sensitization of red
blood cells by complement in vivo by the direct antiglobulin test (DAT).
Anti-C3d may also be optimal for the indirect antiglobulin test (IAT)
especially if incubation periods greater than one hour are employed.
Potent anti-C4 and anti-C3 antisera made in the authors' laboratory
resulted in numerous weakly positive antiglobulin tests when testing red
blood cells from refrigerated clots (especially anti-C4) but red blood
cells from refrigerated anticoagulated segments gave negative results.
When red blood cells were incubated in normal serum at room temperature
(as in the room temperature phase of a compatibility test), some positive
results were again obtained with the potent anti-C4 and anti-C3 antisera.
However, one commercial antiglobulin serum containing anti-complement
antibodies that were at least as potent as any other commercial
antiglobulin serum gave uniformly negative results under the above
conditions.
Controversies
Garratty & Petz (1976)