A patient's serum contains a mixture of antibodies, including anti-D. Which technique may be helpful to identify the other antibody(ies)?

When a patient's serum contains a mixture of antibodies, including anti-D, identifying additional antibodies can be accomplished effectively with an enzyme panel alongside a select cell panel.

An enzyme panel involves treating red blood cells with enzymes, such as papain or bromelain, which can enhance the reactivity of certain antibodies while reducing the effect of others. This method can help in the identification of specific antibodies that may not be easily distinguished in a standard typing procedure.

The select cell panel aids by incorporating a specific set of red blood cells known to express various antigens. By using a combination of enzyme-treated cells and a targeted selection of other red blood cells, the testing can help clarify which additional antibodies may be present in the patient serum. This approach is particularly useful in cases where the patient's serum is known to have anti-D, as it might reveal the presence of other clinically significant antibodies.

The other techniques mentioned serve different purposes or may not be as effective in this context. For example, thiol reagents might be useful for breaking disulfide bonds in antibodies but do not specifically aid in identifying other antigens. Lowering the pH and increasing incubation time can affect the binding characteristics, but this method is less standard and can potentially lead to nons