PubMed Health⌕ Search
Home/Archive/PubMed

PubMed · 3402406

Grain dust contains a tannin-like material which fixes complement.

D L Skea·D McAvoy·I Broder
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Grain dust extract has been found to activate complement. We investigated the possibility that this activity was due to tannin by comparing the characteristics of grain dust extract with those of tannic acid. The properties that were studied were the interaction with albumin and immunoglobulin G, the stability to heat, and the adsorption to polyvinylpolypyrrolidone and hide powder. Grain dust extract was found to show similarities with tannic acid which were consistent with the presence of tannin accounting for most of its complement fixing activity.

Explore related subjects

Complement Fixation TestsDustEdible GrainHumansImmunoelectrophoresisImmunoglobulin GPhenolsSerum AlbuminTanninsJournal Article

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

D L Skea, D McAvoy, I Broder. 1988. Grain dust contains a tannin-like material which fixes complement.. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0013-9351(88)80031-8

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

PubMed2006

Using facsimile cascade to assist case searching during a Q fever outbreak.

In September 2002, facsimiles were sent to 360 primary-care physicians alerting them to a local outbreak of Q fever. The physicians subsequently submitted serology samples on significantly more patients than in a previously comparable period in 2001. Facsimile cascade assists effective communication with primary-care physicians in an outbreak investigation.

Complement Fixation Tests↗
PubMed2000

Different diagnostic methods for detection of influenza epidemics.

Linking continuous community-based morbidity recording of influenza-like illness (ILI) with virological sampling has consistently proved its value as one of the earliest indicators of circulating influenza activity. The clinical morbidity recording in the Portuguese national surveillance network, during a 7-year period, and the contribution of different diagnostic techniques, including virus isolation, multiplex RT-PCR, immunocapture enzyme linked immunoassay (EIA) and complement fixation tests (CFTs) for the detection of influenza in such a community-based setting is described and evaluated in this study. There was good correlation between the increase of morbidity, total samples taken and the detection of influenza virus by all the methods although this was less evident for virus isolation and EIA than for RT-PCR or serology. From a total of 1685 throat swabs collected from cases of ILI, 43.6% were RT-PCR positive, 17.5% were positive by capture EIA and in 5% virus isolates were made. The detection of influenza by RT-PCR occurred earlier than by any other method and showed the best correlation with epidemic patterns of morbidity registration. We conclude that in surveillance systems where virus culture is sub-optimal, RT-PCR provides a rapid, sensitive, specific method for detecting influenza viruses from community-based sampling.

Complement Fixation Tests↗
PubMed1998

The detection by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays of non-complement-fixing HLA antibodies in transfusion medicine.

BACKGROUND: Noncomplement-fixing white cell antibodies have been demonstrated by the use of immunofluorescence flow cytometry against intact lymphocytes. However, such antibodies may be either HLA-specific or directed against other white cell antigens. Commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits, using solubilized HLA molecules as targets, enable such HLA-specific antibodies to be detected in patients who are refractory to platelet transfusion, patients experiencing febrile transfusion reactions, and patients whose sera give nonspecific hemagglutination in indirect antiglobulin tests. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Sera from all three groups of patients, previously screened for cytotoxic antibodies by using complement-dependent lymphocytotoxicity, were re-investigated with commercial ELISA kits for HLA antibody screening and identification using the manufacturers' recommended test methods. RESULTS: Non-complement fixing HLA antibodies were detected by ELISA in many sera that were lymphocytotoxicity test-negative; that is, 14 (17.5%) of 80 from refractory patients, 8 (23.5%) of 34 from those with febrile reactions, and 11 (22.4%) of 49 from those with nonspecific hemagglutination in the direct antiglobulin test. However, not all cytotoxic white cell antibodies were detectable by ELISA: only 19 (82.6%) of 23, 19 (67.8%) of 28, and 11 (73.6%) of 49, respectively in the three groups. Similarly, only 143 (79.4%) of 181 cytotoxic sera with clear-cut HLA-A or -B locus specificities were detectable by ELISA. CONCLUSION: ELISAs detect some but not all clinically significant HLA antibodies, irrespective of their ability to fix complement in vitro.

Complement Fixation Tests↗