Abstract
COLD and warm auto-agglutinins exist. Both occur in the complete and incomplete forms. They are generally believed to be non-specific. Recently, doubt has been cast on their lack of specificity. I consider that (complete) auto-agglutinins might consist of multiple specific components1–3. Recently, Crawford, Cutbush and Mollison4 have shown that incomplete cold auto-agglutinins present in all human sera have the specificity anti-H. The degree of sensitization of cells of various groups by these antibodies could be arranged in the following descending order, O—A 2—B—A 1—A 1 B. Such reactions correspond to the relative amounts of H present in these various cells, O cells containing the most H and A 1 B cells the least. Further the action of incomplete cold auto-antibodies was inhibited by H substance, and their reactions closely agreed with those of an eel anti-H serum. Absorption of the antibodies in the cold by cells of various groups revealed that if A 1 B cells are used the amount of antibody absorbed is inappreciable, whereas if O cells are used ability to sensitize group O cells or cells of groups A 1 and A 2 was completely abolished. These workers consider that the specificity of other non-specific antibodies needs to be re-examined. Davidsohn and Oyamada5 have shown that the warm auto-agglutinins associated with hæmolytic anæmias are predominantly specific for the individual's own cells. Weiner et al. 6 have demonstrated that such an auto-agglutinin had the specificity anti-e.
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Bird, G. W. G., Lancet, i, 977 (1951).
Bird, G. W. G., Nature, 171, 748 (1953).
Bird, G. W. G., Brit. J. Exp. Path., 34, 131 (1953).
Crawford, H., Cutbush, M., and Mollison, P. L., Lancet, i, 556 (1953).
Davidsohn, I., and Oyamada, A., Amer. J. Clin. Path., 23, 101 (1953).
Weiner, W., Battey, D. A., Cleghorn, T. E., Marson, F. G. W., and Meynell, M. J., Brit. Med. J., ii, 125 (1953).
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BIRD, G. Specificity of Complete Cold Auto-Agglutinins. Nature 172, 734 (1953). https://doi.org/10.1038/172734a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/172734a0
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