Abstract
A newly developed passive-hæmagglutination (H.A.) test, using formalised tanned turkey erythrocytes coated with hepatitis-B surface antibody, provided a sensitive and reliable method for detecting hepatitis-B surface antigen (HB sAg) in the sera of patients with acute hepatitis, and in sera from tropical blood-donors in Zambia and Mauritius. Although the sera of 45 of 250 (18%) Zambian donors contained non-specific agglutinins, they were easily adsorbed. However, sera from Mauritian donors, patients with hæmophilia or rheumatoid factor, and hæmodialysis patients rarely contained non-specific agglutinins and did not produce abnormal red blood-cell settling patterns. Because of its rapidity, the turkey-cell H.A. test was shown to be especially useful in urgent clinical situations. Furthermore, since turkey-erythrocyte preparations are supplied freeze-dried, this test is valuable both in diagnosis and. blood-donor screening in the tropics. Although only slightly less sensitive than radioimmunoassay, the H.A. test was considerably more sensitive than counterimmunoelectro-osmophoresis, since only sera with HB sAg titres by H.A. of ⋟1/256 were consistently positive by counterimmunoelectroosmophoresis.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
