Report on the Fourth International Granulocyte Immunology Workshop: progress toward quality assessment

Transfusion. 2002 Apr;42(4):462-8. doi: 10.1046/j.1525-1438.2002.00053.x.

Abstract

Background: A formal quality assurance (QA) scheme has been established to facilitate proficiency testing for granulocyte antibodies and antigens.

Study design and methods: Fifteen laboratories participated in the Fourth International Granulocyte Immunology Workshop. The main objective of the workshop was to establish a formal QA scheme for granulocyte serology and molecular typing methods. A secondary objective was to determine the relative sensitivities of the granulocyte immunofluorescence test, granulocyte agglutination test, and MoAb immobilization assays using defined antisera and protocols.

Results: Laboratories scored between 16.7 and 100 percent (mean, 57.5%) of the maximum available in the serologic part of this QA exercise. There were particular problems in detecting granulocyte-specific human neutrophil antigen-1 (HNA-1a) IgM antibodies and HNA-2a antibodies in the presence of HNA-1b antibodies. The granulocyte immunofluorescence test was more sensitive than the granulocyte agglutination test in titration studies, but the latter method more readily identified the presence of HNA-3a antibodies. HNA genotyping was generally well performed, with nine laboratories obtaining 100-percent correct results for HNA-1a, HNA-1b, and HNA-1c.

Conclusions: There is a need to standardize the detection of granulocyte-specific antibodies. Laboratories with good performance tended to use two methods for detecting granulocyte-specific antibodies and an HNA-typed panel of granulocytes. The use of a method for elucidating mixtures of granulocyte- and lymphocyte-reactive antibodies (e.g., MoAb immobilization assay) and the use of methods for detecting both cytotoxic and noncytotoxic HLA class I antibodies were also associated with a higher than average performance.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Agglutination Tests
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • Genotype
  • Granulocytes / immunology*
  • HLA-B Antigens / immunology
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I / immunology
  • Humans
  • Isoantibodies / analysis
  • Isoantigens / analysis*
  • Isoantigens / genetics
  • Isoantigens / immunology*
  • Luminescent Measurements
  • Phenotype
  • Quality Control
  • Sensitivity and Specificity

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • HLA-B Antigens
  • HLA-Bw4 antigen
  • Histocompatibility Antigens Class I
  • Isoantibodies
  • Isoantigens
  • neutrophil-specific antigen NA1, human
  • neutrophil-specific antigen NA2
  • neutrophil-specific antigen NA3, human