COMPLEMENT SPECIFICITY AND INTERCHANGEABILITY - MEASUREMENT OF HEMOLYTIC COMPLEMENT LEVELS AND USE OF COMPLEMENT-FIXATION TEST WITH SERA FROM COMMON DOMESTICATED ANIMALS

  • 1 January 1977
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 38  (10) , 1611-1617
Abstract
The results from studies to measure lytic complement (C) in sera of different animal species were reviewed. The traditional system, using sheep red blood cells (RBC) and rabbit antibody, was confirmed as the most sensitive to measure C levels in man, monkey, dog, guinea pig and rat sera. Sera C from horse, cow and sheep were best assayed using rabbit RBC, whereas C from goat, cat and rabbit were best assayed with human RBC. Antibodies and C from the same species usually mediated lysis of foreigh RBC, but this lysis occurred more readily with some RBC targets than with others and may be associated with the presence of natural antibodies in the test sera. The effects of the species origin of a C source in immunologic reactions in vitro and in vivo are discussed.