Agglutination Reactions in Human Red Cells Fragmented by Heat

Abstract

Murray and Clark¹ have shown that, if red cells are heated to 50° C., substances can be obtained from the surrounding fluid which, even if derived from Rh-negative red cells, can give rise to anti-D agglutinins when injected into guinea pigs. Temperatures in the neighbourhood of 50°–56° produce extensive modifications of the human red-cell surface, namely, fragmentation, development of myelin forms, and, at the higher temperatures, hæmolysis². It is therefore likely that the substances found by Murray and Clark in the fluid surrounding the heated cells are the products of the fragmentation phenomena and the changes in the red-cell surface which accompany them.