namf
Forum Elite
Topics: 80
Posts: 312
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What the heck are heterophile Abs--& would we have any necessarily in our blood (or based on some exposure, or what?)
Thanks!
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| Sakaki-
Forum Senior
Topics: 1
Posts: 238
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They react with components of another species. They result from exposures to other animals, and hence, they usually do not pose a problem in laboratory immunoassays. HAMA (human anti-mouse antibody) is a good example, and it is found in people with frequent exposure to mice.
In a sandwich immunoassay (the ones prone to interferences from heterophilic antibodies), there is a capture antibody and a detecting antibody. These antibodies are raised in another animal. The heterophilic antibody then acts as a "cross-bridge" between the two aforementioned antibody, leading to a detectable signal and a false-positive result.
Heterophile antibodies are also important in the diagnosis of infectious mono (via the Monospot test), but that is just a coincidental thing rather than due to exposure to the animal (cross-reactivity).
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