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What is the CFT Full Form Complement Fixation Test - Unacademy

The Complement Fixation Test (CFT) is an immunology diagnostic assessment used to detect antibodies or antigens in clinical specimens, particularly for diagnosing autoimmune diseases and infections. It operates on principles of antibody-antigen interactions that fix complement, with results interpreted based on hemolysis of sensitized red blood cells. While CFT has been largely supplanted by methods like ELISA and PCR, it remains a valuable tool for screening antibodies against various microorganisms.

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7 views

What is the CFT Full Form Complement Fixation Test - Unacademy

The Complement Fixation Test (CFT) is an immunology diagnostic assessment used to detect antibodies or antigens in clinical specimens, particularly for diagnosing autoimmune diseases and infections. It operates on principles of antibody-antigen interactions that fix complement, with results interpreted based on hemolysis of sensitized red blood cells. While CFT has been largely supplanted by methods like ELISA and PCR, it remains a valuable tool for screening antibodies against various microorganisms.

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CFT Full Form


Learn about the Complement Fixation Test and its
importance in diagnosing autoimmune diseases.

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The complement fixation test is an


immunology diagnostic assessment that could
predict the existence of a certain antibody or
antigen in a clinical specimen depending on
whether or not complements fixation occurs.
Antibodies against MAP generated in response
to pathogens are detected in serum (the fluid,
non-cellular part of blood). Antibodies bind to
proteins and subsequently bind (fix)
complement in this approach, which is also
used to diagnose various infectious illnesses.
An indication system that includes anti-red
blood cell antibody-coated red blood cells
permits assessment about whether addition
was established, implying that anti-MAP
antibody was present in the data serum
sample.

Principles of CFT
It is possible to determine how much antibody
to MAP is present in a sample by evaluating
each serum sample’s serial dilutions. The
greatest serum dilution is given, not just the
“fixing” component. Although, in professional
diagnostics labs, alternative serological
approaches like ELISA and DNA-based
pathogen detection methods, particularly
PCR, have essentially supplanted it. It was
commonly used to diagnose infections,
especially caused by bacteria that were
difficult to detect using culture methods and
rheumatic illnesses. The CF test is based on
two fundamental principles:

1. Many types of antibody-antigen


interactions bind (fix) complement (C) in an
irreversible manner (certain classes of
antibodies do not fix the complement). The
relative concentration of antibody or
antigen depends on the degree of
attachment.

2. The availability of an unbound response is


required for the lysis of SRBC sensitised with
hemolysin. The following is how the CF test
is interpreted:

Minimal hemolysis if the antibody is


expressed

Hemolysis occurs when an antibody is


missing

Because there is some crossover in


antigenicity across the several fungi and the
symptoms of the infections are extremely
similar, patient sera should indeed be
examined for each of the antigens. Higher CF
titers are frequently seen when patient sera
are tested against the other antigen as the
etiologic agent.

Antigen detection
While antibody detection is the most common
test, antigen detection is also feasible. In this
case, a particular antibody is added to the
patient’s serum to encourage the formation of
compounds; complementing and the marker
sRBC are added as before.

Semi-quantitative
Testing
Setting up a series of dilutions of patient
serum and establishing the largest dilution
factor that still yields a positive CF test can
make the test quantitative. The titer relates to
this dilution factor.

Process of CFT
The complement structure combines serum
proteins that bind to antigen-antibody
complexes and react with them. If such a
reaction happens on a cell’s surface, this
should result in the creation of trans-
membrane holes, and, as a consequence, the
cell will be destroyed. The following are the
basic steps in a complement fixation test:

1. The patient’s serum is extracted.

2. Complement proteins are found in varying


amounts in the blood of patients. The
complement proteins in the clinical
specimen must be eliminated and replaced
with a predetermined amount of
standardised complement proteins to
negate any impact on the test.

3. The serum is heated to the point where all


complement proteins are eliminated, and
none of the antibodies is. (This is because
complement proteins are far more
vulnerable to heat than antibodies.)

4. The serum is spiked with a known amount


of standard complement proteins. (Guinea
pig serum is usually used to obtain these
proteins.)

5. The serum is infused with the protein of


interest.

6. The serum is supplemented with sheep red


blood cells (RBCs) that have been pre-
bound to anti-sRBC antibodies. If the
solution turns pink at this stage, the test is
false; alternatively, it is affirmative.

7. Antibodies against the antigen of interest in


the clinical specimen would attach to the
antigen in step 3 to produce antigen-
antibody combinations. Complementary
protein will be diminished due to their
reactions with these complexes. There will
be no complement in the serum whenever
the sRBC-antibody complexes are
introduced in step 4. Suppose no antibodies
are available against the protein of interest.
In that case, the complement will be not be
depleted. It will react with the RBC-
antibody complexes supplied in step 4, data
the sRBCs, and spill their components into
the solution, colouring the solution pink.

Conclusion
The CF test is frequently used to screen for
antibodies against several potentially harmful
microorganisms (particularly viruses); a pool of
15–20 antigens can be utilised for this purpose.
The majority of antigens are available on the
market and are inexpensive. The test may
largely be done with relatively crude antigens
(infected cell lysates). Because an
overabundance of antibodies in high-titer sera
may fail to form complement-activating
immune complexes (the “prozone’ effect), test
sera must be tested in at least two dilutions. If
the patient serum specimen is
‘anticomplementary,’ that is, it consumes
complement from the test mixture without
adding antigen, the CF test cannot be used.

The presence of pre-existing complement-


activating elements in the patient’s sera is
usually the cause of anti-complementarity.
Immunological complexes and other immune
aggregates, cryoglobulins, contaminating
microorganisms, and bacterial products like
endotoxin are examples of these. Acute sera
from patients infected with parvovirus B19, for
example, frequently include immune
complexes and are anticomplementary.

Frequently asked
questions
Get answers to the most common queries related
to the NEET UG Examination Preparation.

What does CFT stand for in its


entire form?
Answer: The Complement Fixation Test is the full
name of this test. Blood seru...Read full

In the complement fixation test,


what constitutes a favourable
response?
Answer: The Wasserman reaction, for instance, is a
diagnostic complement fixat...Read full

In a complement fixation test, what


is the indicator?
Answer: Sheep red blood cells are employed as a
CF indication method (RBCs). T...Read full

What is Coccidioides complement


fixation, and how does it work?
Answer: Coccidioides complement fixation is a
blood test that searches for ant...Read full

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