[A screening procedure for determining tetanus antibody concentrations in blood products]

The application of antibodies to tetanus toxin is necessary for prevention of postoperative tetanus in patients at risk, e.g. in emergency surgery. However, intravenous preparations with sufficiently rapid distribution throughout the body are not available. This could only be achieved via the blood products (whole blood unit, fresh frozen plasma, thrombocyte concentrate) transfused in such cases. For semiquantitative determination of antibody concentration in blood products, an ELISA assay was developed, which can be used as a screening method for selection of sera with high titers. The assay is quick and easy to perform so that large numbers of sera can be tested within a short time.