Agglutinins are antibodies that cause the red blood cells to clump together.
This article discusses the blood test used to measure the level of these antibodies in the blood.
Alternative NamesCold agglutinins; Weil-Felix reaction; Widal's test; Warm agglutinins
How the test is performedBlood is drawn from a vein, usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. The site is cleaned with germ-killing medicine (antiseptic). The health care provider wraps an elastic band around the upper arm to apply pressure to the area and make the vein swell with blood.
Next, the health care provider gently inserts a needle into the vein. The blood collects into an airtight vial or tube attached to the needle. (The tube is first warmed to normal body temperature - 98.6 degrees F). The elastic band is removed from your arm.
Once the blood has been collected, the needle is removed, and the puncture site is covered to stop any bleeding.
In infants or young children, a sharp tool called a lancet may be used to puncture the skin and make it bleed. The blood collects into a small glass tube called a pipette, or onto a slide or test strip. A bandage may be placed over the area if there is any bleeding.
The sample is sent to a laboratory.
How to prepare for the testThere is no special preparation.
How the test will feelWhen the needle is inserted to draw blood, some people feel moderate pain, while others feel only a prick or stinging sensation. Afterward, there may be some throbbing.
Why the test is performedThis test is done to diagnose certain infections and to determine the cause of hemolytic anemia. Distinguishing between warm and cold agglutinins can help understand why the hemolytic anemia is occurring and can direct therapy.
Normal ValuesNote: Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.
What abnormal results meanThe presence of warm agglutinins may occur with:
The presence of cold agglutinins may occur with:
Veins and arteries vary in size from one patient to another and from one side of the body to the other. Obtaining a blood sample from some people may be more difficult than from others.
Other risks associated with having blood drawn are slight but may include:
If cold agglutinin disease is suspected, the individual needs to be kept warm.
ReferencesSchwartz RS. Autoimmune and intravascular hemolytic anemias. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 164.
Baum SG. Mycoplasma infections. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 338.
Powers A, Silberstein LE. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia. In: Hoffman R, Benz EJ, Shattil SS, et al, eds. Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2008:chap 47.
Agglutinins are antibodies that cause the red blood cells to clump together.
This article discusses the blood test used to measure the level of these antibodies in the blood.
Alternative NamesCold agglutinins; Weil-Felix reaction; Widal's test; Warm agglutinins
How the test is performedBlood is drawn from a vein, usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. The site is cleaned with germ-killing medicine (antiseptic). The health care provider wraps an elastic band around the upper arm to apply pressure to the area and make the vein swell with blood.
Next, the health care provider gently inserts a needle into the vein. The blood collects into an airtight vial or tube attached to the needle. (The tube is first warmed to normal body temperature - 98.6 degrees F). The elastic band is removed from your arm.
Once the blood has been collected, the needle is removed, and the puncture site is covered to stop any bleeding.
In infants or young children, a sharp tool called a lancet may be used to puncture the skin and make it bleed. The blood collects into a small glass tube called a pipette, or onto a slide or test strip. A bandage may be placed over the area if there is any bleeding.
The sample is sent to a laboratory.
How to prepare for the testThere is no special preparation.
How the test will feelWhen the needle is inserted to draw blood, some people feel moderate pain, while others feel only a prick or stinging sensation. Afterward, there may be some throbbing.
Why the test is performedThis test is done to diagnose certain infections and to determine the cause of hemolytic anemia. Distinguishing between warm and cold agglutinins can help understand why the hemolytic anemia is occurring and can direct therapy.
Normal ValuesNote: Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.
What abnormal results meanThe presence of warm agglutinins may occur with:
The presence of cold agglutinins may occur with:
Veins and arteries vary in size from one patient to another and from one side of the body to the other. Obtaining a blood sample from some people may be more difficult than from others.
Other risks associated with having blood drawn are slight but may include:
If cold agglutinin disease is suspected, the individual needs to be kept warm.
ReferencesSchwartz RS. Autoimmune and intravascular hemolytic anemias. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 164.
Baum SG. Mycoplasma infections. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007: chap 338.
Powers A, Silberstein LE. Autoimmune hemolytic anemia. In: Hoffman R, Benz EJ, Shattil SS, et al, eds. Hematology: Basic Principles and Practice. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2008:chap 47.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 04/12/2010
Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine; George F Longstreth, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, San Diego, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
The cold agglutinins test is used to confirm the diagnosis of certain diseases that stimulate the body to produce cold agglutinins
The febrile agglutinins test is used to confirm the diagonsis of certain infectious diseases that stimulate the body to produce febrile agglutinins.
in the plasma
The results of the cold agglutinins test require a doctor's interpretation. In general, however, a normal value is lower than 1:32.
As they are type of antibody they are known as securitygaurd
Both found in blood and both part of the immune system.
disease most commonly diagnosed by this test is mycoplasmal pneumonia, but mononucleosis, mumps, measles, scarlet fever, some parasitic infections, cirrhosis of the liver, and some types of hemolytic anemia can also cause the formation of cold agglutinins
There is a bedside version of the test in which the doctor collects four or five drops of blood in a small tube, cools the tube in ice water for 30-60 seconds, and looks for clumping of red blood cells.
Fever evaluation tests, better known as febrile agglutinins tests, are performed to detect the presence of antibodies in the blood that are sensitive to temperature changes.
Any value higher than 1:32 suggests a diagnosis of mycoplasmal pneumonia or one of the other viral infections or disease conditions indicated by this test.
Type A, is this from the Blood Basics Quiz? I hate that thing.
O negative blood group is universal donor, it is bcz it haz no agglutinogen (antigens which r specific proteins on the surface of RBCs), so when transfused there will be no agglutinogen in it to react with agglutinins(defencive prteins /antibodies) present in the recipients blood. O (oh) is actually zero that indicates that no antigens are present on RBC surface.