title: A comparison of a new affinity column system with a conventional tube LISS-antiglobulin test for antibody detection.
abstract: A recently introduced system for antibody detection (ReACT) consists of affinity columns (AFC) that contain protein A and protein G-coated agarose. We compared the ReACT system to a conventional tube low-ionic-strength saline antiglobulin test (LISS-AGT). We selected 100 LISS-AGT positive samples with clinically important and benign antibodies of varying strengths and 130 LISS-AGT negative samples to evaluate by the AFC method. AFC tests were positive with all 84 clinically important antibodies, including 36 antibodies that reacted <= 1+ at LISS-AGT (0% falsely negative). Eleven of 16 (69%) clinically benign antibodies reacted by AFC. Five samples (2 anti-Sda, 2 anti-I, and 1 inconclusive) were negative by AFC. AFC tests were negative with all 130 samples that were negative by LISS-AGT (0% falsely positive). The AFC method showed results comparable with results obtained with a conventional tube LISS-AGT for detection of clinically important antibodies. Some unwanted, clinically benign antibodies may not be detected by the AFC method.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins Hospital, Transfusion Medicine Division, Carnegie Room 667, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287-6667, USA.
authors.forename: R S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Shirey
authors.forename: J S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Boyd
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Barrasso
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Ness