Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 15, 2026
Particle Agglutination Method for Poliovirus Identification
Published on: April 20, 2011
Rapid detection of antibodies to immunoglobulin A molecules by using the particle gel immunoassay
A Salama1, P Schwind, K Schönhage
1Blood Bank, Charité, Campus Virchow-Clinic, Berlin, Germany. abdulgabar.salama@charite.de
Background And Objectives:
Antibodies to immunoglobulin A (IgA) molecules are thought to be frequently responsible for anaphylactic reactions in transfusion medicine, but practical tests for the detection of antibodies to IgA are not yet available.
Material And Methods:
Red, high-density polystyrene beads were coated with purified IgA molecules and then used to test serum samples collected from unselected healthy blood donors (n = 105) and patients with common variable immunodeficiency and/or IgA deficiency (n = 44). For testing, the standard gel-agglutination technique (ID-Micro Typing System) was employed.
Results:
None of the normal serum samples were reactive with IgA-coated beads and samples from only 10 patients were positive (titre range 1 : 2 to 1 : 256). Only one out of all patients studied had a history of an anaphylactic reaction and this was related to the administration of Rh(D) prophylaxis (anti-D immunoglobulin). The beads did not show non-specific agglutination and could be used repeatedly for longer than 6 months. The results were reproducible in all patients tested.
Conclusion:
The new test allows a specific and rapid detection of antibodies to IgA molecules. In order to evaluate the clinical relevance of the test, analysis is required of a wider range of antibodies that produce anaphylactic reactions.
