What happens when a blood cell Agglutinates?

The agglutinated red cells can clog blood vessels and stop the circulation of the blood to various parts of the body. The agglutinated red blood cells also crack and its contents leak out in the body. The red blood cells contain hemoglobin which becomes toxic when outside the cell.

What is agglutination blood?

The process in which free red blood cells are bound together by an antibody and reduced to a visible pellet when centrifuged, most typically in test tubes.

What causes agglutination of red cells?

In hematology, red cell agglutination or autoagglutination is a phenomenon in which red blood cells clump together, forming aggregates. It is caused by the surface of the red cells being coated with antibodies.

How is blood agglutination treated?

In severe cases of hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells), medical treatment may be needed. Medical treatments for cold agglutinin disease include rituximab (Rituxan), a drug that is an antibody that selectively reduces specific types of immune cells). The effects of treatment with rituximab can last up to 2 years.

What happens to red blood cells in agglutination?

If the virus typically hemagglutinates red blood cells without any antibodies from the patient present, then clumping will occur. However, if a person is creating antibodies against the particular virus, these antibodies will bind the virus in a procedure called neutralization.

How is agglutination used in blood transfusions?

Agglutination reactions can be used to type blood cells for transfusion, to identify bacterial cultures, and to detect the presence and relative amount of specific antibody in a patient’s serum. Agglutination has been commonly used to determine whether a patient had or has a bacterial infection.

How are agglutination reactions used in clinical medicine?

Agglutination reactions have many applications in clinical medicine. Agglutination reactions can be used to type blood cells for transfusion, to identify bacterial cultures, and to detect the presence and relative amount of specific antibody in a patient’s serum.

Which is an example of viral agglutination in hematology?

Measles, mumps, and influenza (flu) viruses are common examples of viruses that can bind to red blood cells, collecting them together. This agglutination process is not the same as an antibody to antigen binding and is distinctively called viral hemagglutination.