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HETEROTYPIC ANTIBODIES IN LIBERIAN SERA CAUSING ANOMALOUS REACTIONS WHEN USING A COMMERCIAL HAEMAGGLUTINATION TEST FOR HEPATITIS‐B SURFACE ANTIGEN
Author(s) -
Willcox M. C.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
acta pathologica microbiologica scandinavica section b microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.909
H-Index - 88
eISSN - 1600-0463
pISSN - 0304-131X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1976.tb01912.x
Subject(s) - hemagglutination , antibody , agglutination (biology) , antigen , latex fixation test , population , rheumatoid factor , immunology , virology , hepatitis , haemagglutination inhibition , hepatitis b , hemagglutination tests , medicine , chemistry , serology , environmental health
Agglutinins reacting with normal and tanned sheep erythrocytes were the probable cause of false positive reactions given by 51 of 214 Liberian sera when using a commercial passive‐haem‐agglutination test for hepatitis‐B surface antigen. Absorption showed these agglutinins to be identical to those described earlier in Nigerian sera. Rheumatoid factor and anti‐sheep‐serum antibodies although present in 12 and five per cent respectively of all sera were not responsible for any false positive reactions. The practical conclusion is that such tests, based on sheep erythrocytes are unsuitable for screening this population.