Goat Antiserum To Equine Albumin

Description

Goat Antiserum To Equine Albumin (2ml vial)

 (A) CHARACTERISTICS                                                                               

1. Description

            Antisera to proteins are prepared by immunizing goats, rabbit or burros with a purified antigen.  When the antibody response reaches the appropriate level, the serum is removed from the animals’ blood, and where necessary, adsorbed to monspecificity for the immunizing antigen.

Monspecificity is ascertained by the use of immunoelectrophoretic, Ouchterlony and radial immunodiffusion techniques.  Titers are sufficient to detect the antigen in pooled normal serum at a minimum dilution of 1/4.  Where available, antibody content is expressed in mg/ml as determined by reverse radial immunodiffusion.

1. Storage and Handling:

      Antiserum, when not contaminated by bacterial growth or hemolyzed erythrocytes is stable for two years at refrigerator temperatures.  When stored frozen and air tight, stability is longer.  Many antisera have retained potency for several years; however, the used should reconfirm specificity and potency after this interval.

Repeated freezing and thawing is detrimental to antisera and should be avoided.

To insure maintenance of sterility, aliquots of antiserum should be removed with sterile pipettes. Dilution of the antiserum should be made in sterile buffered saline (pH 7-8.6).  If non-sterile diluent is used, a preservative should be included. Addition of non-specific protein, e.g. 1% bovine serum albumin, enhances stability of diluted antiserum.

(B) LIMITATONS           

1. Most serum proteins are readily detectable by gel diffusion analysis. However, with extended storage, in the presence of certain enzymes, or bacterial contamination, breakdown to smaller components may occur.  This may result in a lack of reactivity with the antiserum or an alteration in electrophoretic mobility.
2. Microbial contamination may occur in spite of the preservative if non-sterile pipettes, etc. are used to remove aliquots from the vial. Characteristic odors or sediments usually indicate contamination and the antiserum should be discarded.

Excess reactant – antigen or antibody may result in the formation of soluble complexes that are not detectable by gel diffusion assays.  The antiserum or antigen should be diluted and the test rerun.

(C) REFERENCES

1. Ouchterlony, O. Antigen-Antibody reactions in gel.  Act.  Micro. Schand. 126, 207.
2. Crowle, A. J. Immunodiffusion, Academic Press New York, 1973.
3. Becker, W. Determination of antisera titers using the single radial immunodiffusion technique.  Immunochemistry 1969.  6, 539.
4. Reimer, C.B., Phillips, D.J., Maddisen, S.E. & Shore, S.L. Comparative evaluation of commercial precipitating antisera against human IgM and IgG.  1970. J. Lab. Clin. Med. 76, 949.