title: Autoantibodies with mimicking specificity detected by the dilution technique in patients with warm autoantibodies.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of autoantibodies with mimicking specificity by using the dilution technique, to assess the usefulness of the combination of the dilution technique and red blood cell (RBC) phenotyping, and to establish a pre-transfusion testing algorithm in patients with warm autoantibodies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Serum samples from 71 patients with warm autoantibodies were tested using the dilution technique. Among them, 25 samples were adsorbed with allogeneic ZZAP (a combination of dithiothreitol and enzyme) or polyethylene glycol (PEG) and their RBC phenotypes were determined. Thirty-nine patients were transfused with our pre-transfusion testing algorithm using a combination of dilution technique and RBC phenotyping.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Autoantibodies with mimicking specificity were detected by the dilution technique in 26.8% (19/71) of the patients and most of them were directed against Rh system antigens. The agreement of the results obtained with the dilution technique in combination with RBC phenotyping and those from ZZAP or PEG adsorption was 100% (18/18) in patients who have autoantibodies with mimicking specificity and/or alloantibodies. No clinical symptoms indicating severe acute or delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions were reported in the 39 patients transfused with our pre-transfusion testing algorithm.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Autoantibodies with mimicking specificity detected by the dilution technique in patients with warm autoantibodies are relatively frequent, can be discriminated from alloantibodies by employing a combination of dilution technique and RBC phenotyping, and might not appear to cause severe acute or delayed hemolytic transfusion reactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Korea.
authors.forename: Min-Joong
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Jang
authors.forename: Duck
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Kyoung-Un
authors.initials: KU
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Mark Harris
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Yazer
authors.forename: Myung-Geun
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Jong-Hee
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Shin
authors.forename: Soon-Pal
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Suh
authors.forename: Dong-Wook
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Ryang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000327:Adsorption; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000465:Algorithms; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D002648:Child; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007201:Indicator Dilution Techniques; D007518:Isoantibodies / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000737:chemistry; D013696:Temperature; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001323:Autoantibodies; D007518:Isoantibodies; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols
keywords: Autoantibody; Dilution technique; Mimicking specificity