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Scheme of the complement system. The complement system, also known as complement cascade, is a part of the humoral, innate immune system and enhances (complements) the ability of antibodies and phagocytic cells to clear microbes and damaged cells from an organism, promote inflammation, and attack the pathogen's cell membrane. [1]
The direct Coombs test is used to detect antibodies or complement proteins attached to the surface of red blood cells. To perform the test, a blood sample is taken and the red blood cells are washed (removing the patient's plasma and unbound antibodies from the red blood cells) and then incubated with anti-human globulin ("Coombs reagent").
Complement deficiency is an immunodeficiency of absent or suboptimal functioning of one of the complement system proteins. [4] Because of redundancies in the immune system, many complement disorders are never diagnosed. Some studies estimate that less than 10% are identified. [5]
The complement fixation test is an immunological medical test that can be used to detect the presence of either specific antibody or specific antigen in a patient's serum, based on whether complement fixation occurs. It was widely used to diagnose infections, particularly with microbes that are not easily detected by culture methods, and in ...
The complement system is a biochemical cascade of the innate immune system that helps clear pathogens from an organism. It is derived from many small blood plasma proteins that work together to disrupt the target cell's plasma membrane leading to cytolysis of the cell.
The complement system is a biochemical cascade that attacks the surfaces of foreign cells. It contains over 20 different proteins and is named for its ability to "complement" the killing of pathogens by antibodies. Complement is the major humoral component of the innate immune response.
Therefore, any dilution to their serum would further impair this functioning, meaning that a lower dilution needs to be reached to achieve 50% capacity. In contrast, any individual with increased complement levels or activity would have an elevated CH50 since increasing dilution would be necessary to reach the 50% lyse marking.
C1q is an integral component within the complement pathway – a complicated cascade of protein interactions, culminating in an immune response against a broad variety of pathogens. The anti-C1q antibodies found in patients with hypocomplementemic urticarial vasculitis activate C1q, which instigates activation of the entire complement pathway.