Agglutinin is a substance in the blood that binds molecules together, part of the immune system’s response to foreign bodies. It can be used to identify infections and blood types. Cold agglutinins can cause tissue damage in extreme cases, and high levels can indicate certain infections or conditions.
Agglutinin is a substance in the blood that binds individual molecules together, forming a large mass. It is part of the immune system’s response to foreign bodies, such as bacteria and viruses, by quickly recognizing and binding to proteins of an invading organism. The interaction is similar to the antigen-antibody relationship. Some types of agglutinins are in fact antibodies while other agglutinin substances are lectins, a type of protein that easily binds to sugars.
When agglutinins are released into suspension, they bind to specific particles and bind them together into a single mass. Subsequently, the mass sinks to the bottom of the suspension, resulting in a clear fluid. This process, known as agglutination, can be used to identify the cause of an infection. It can also be used to identify an individual’s blood type.
One of the jobs that agglutinins perform is to prevent foreign blood types from entering the bloodstream. People with type A blood, for example, have B-agglutinin in their blood to destroy type B blood cells. Similarly, if a person’s blood type is B, then A-agglutinin is present in their blood. to destroy type A blood cells. A person with type O blood will have both A and B agglutinin in their blood to prevent type A and type B blood cells from entering the bloodstream. Individuals with blood type AB have no blood agglutinins.
When the body is exposed to cold temperatures, cold agglutinins bind to red blood cells and force them to clump together. Normally, there are low amounts of cold agglutinins in the blood. During an infection, the level of cold agglutinins rises, leading to problems such as pale skin and numbness in the hands and feet. As the skin warms up, the symptoms usually go away. In extreme circumstances, blood clots can block the vessels that supply blood to the ears, nose, fingertips, and toes, causing tissue damage similar to frostbite. In some cases the tissue damage can lead to gangrene.
Typically, the type of infection causing high cold agglutinin levels can be determined. This is done by measuring the amount of cold agglutinins in the blood after a series of dilutions. In a healthy person, the final dilution generally has undetectable levels of cold agglutinins – a ratio of about 1 in 40. Higher dilutions generally indicate conditions such as pneumonia, infectious mononucleosis or hepatitis C. Extremely high dilutions, such as 1 in 1,000, could indicate the presence of a more serious condition, such as lymphoma.
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