A MORE SPECIFIC METHOD FOR DETECTING AND QUANTITATING RHEUMATOID FACTORS USING A SIMPLE MODIFICATION OF THE RA-TEST

Journal/Book: THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PATHOLOGY Vol. 43 No. 2 1965. 1965;

Abstract: R. GLENN WATSON PH.D. Department of Microbiology The Bowman Gray School of Medicine Winston-Salem North Carolina Dr. Watson is Assistant Professor. Received August 17 1964; accepted for publication November 4. SUMMARY Attention is called to the fact that normal human serums contain a heat-labile antiglobulin capable of causing false positive agglutination reactions in the RA-Test of Hyland Laboratories. The development of a simple but more specific test is described and a quantitative test for routine use in clinical laboratories is outlined. The greater specificity and sensitivity of this test is owing primarily to incubating the serums at 56 C. for 30 min. prior to testing. This treatment increases the specificity and sensitivity of the test by inactivating the antiglobulin which is responsible for false positive reactions as well as the heat-labile inhibitors which cause false negative results by masking rheumatoid factor activity. ___MH

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