| Detection of erythrocyte sensitization using a gel column can be beneficial to veterinary immunohematology. Compatibility testing is recommended for canine transfusion, but the traditional test tube method can often be difficult to interpret and prone to variation depending on the skill of the individual performing test. A gel method can ease interpretation and reduce variation. Agarose gels were purchased containing bacterial proteins A, G, and L, and an anti-canine globulin gel was created by adhering whole molecule rabbit anti-canine globulin to a Cyanogen bromide activated agarose gel. Aliquots of each gel, with erythrocytes sensitized with antibodies to dog erythrocyte antigens (DEA) 1.1, 1.X, 3, 5, 4, 5, and 7, were centrifuged at 1200 gravities for 10 minutes. The results were compared to those obtained by the traditional test tube method. Gel columns with anti-canine globulin and columns without immunoglobulin binding protein proved to be effective for detecting cells sensitized to DEAs 1.1, 4, and 5, and in some cases, better than the test tube method. This method provides easy interpretation, which is helpful for canine pre-transfusion testing. |
