In recent years, new methods such as microtube column agglutination methods and microplate methods using automated instruments have been used for blood typing, antibody screening testing and crossmatching testing. However, no precise comparison study of the performance of these methods and conventional tube methods has been done.
In the present study, we performed a comparison study on sensitivity for IgG alloantibody by the tube indirect anti-globulin test (IAT) using polyethylene glycol (PEG), albumin, or low ionic strength saline solution (LISS), microtube column agglutination (Ortho BioVue and DiaMed MTS), and microplate solid phase system (Immucor Capture R Ready Screen, CRRS) methods.
Using 51 positive sera as determined by the tube IAT-PEG using anti-IgG antibody, the positive rates of tube IAT-albumin and tube IAT-LISS using anti-IgG antibody, BioVue (IgG cassette), MTS (IgG card) and CRRS (IgG bonded RBC) were 62.7%, 68.6%, 88.2%, 88.2% and 94.1%, respectively.
Using 12 commercial anti-sera and 25 patient sera, antibody reactivity as determind by AABB scores was compared between these 6 methods. Mean AABB scores were 51.4 with the tube IAT-PEG, 37.3 with the tube IAT-albumin, 37.4 with the tube IAT-LISS, 51.7 with BioVue, 53.8 with MTS, and 76.5 with CRRS.
These results indicate that the sensitivity of clinically significant red cell alloantibodies was similar or higher with the microtube column agglutination methods and CRRS than with the tube IAT methods.
