The Hemagglutination Inhibition Assay to Detect Serum Antibodies Against a Target Antigen
Published: November 30, 2023
Abstract
Source: Kaufmann, L. et al., An Optimized Hemagglutination Inhibition (HI) Assay to Quantify Influenza-specific Antibody Titers. J. Vis. Exp. (2017)
The video demonstrates a hemagglutination inhibition assay for detecting serum antibodies against specific antigens. Confirmation of hemagglutination inhibition in the test well and hemagglutination in the control well is achieved through distinct visual patterns. This assay plays a crucial role in assessing immune response, vaccine effectiveness, and studying viral infections in virology and immunology.
Protocol
All procedures involving human participants have been performed in compliance with the institutional, national, and international guidelines for human welfare and have been reviewed by the local institutional review board. 1. Serum Collection Collect serum samples from humans at time points of interest. For this study, we collected sera at days 0 (time of influenza vaccination), +7, +30, +60, and +180 after vaccination. To obtain the serum, centrifuge the…
Representative Results
Figure 1: Principle of hemagglutination and hemagglutination inhibition. No hemagglutination occurs in a negative control situation without viruses and antibodies (left column), and erythrocytes hemagglutinate only in the presence of influenza virus (middle column). However, when the hemagglutinin of the influenza virus is blocked by virus-specific antibodies then no hemagglutination can occ…
Disclosures
The authors have nothing to disclose.
Materials
| 25 ml Disposable Multichannel Pipette Reservoirs | Integra | 4312 | |
| 8-well PCR tubes | Brand GMBH | 781332 | For serum aliquots |
| 96-well microtiter plate, U-shaped | TPP | 92097 | For HI assay when using mammalian RBCs |
| 96-well microtiter plate, V-shaped | Corning Costar | 3897 | For HI assay when using avian RBCs |
| Aqua ad iniect. Steril | Bichsel AG | 1000004 | For preparing influenza antigen and cholera filtrate solutions |
| Chicken RBC (10%) | Cedarlane | CLC8800 | 10% suspension of chicken red blood cells in Alsever's solution |
| Cholera filtrate | Sigma-Aldrich | C8772 | Used as receptor destroying enzyme (RDE) |
| Dulbecco's PBS | Sigma-Aldrich | D8537 | For diluting the serum samples, RBCs and antigens |
| Eppendorf Multichannel pipette, 12-channel, 10-100 µl | Sigma-Aldrich | Z683949 | |
| Eppendorf Multichannel pipette, 8-channel, 10-100 µl | Sigma-Aldrich | Z683930 | |
| Guinea Pig RBC (10%) | Cedarlane | CLC1800 | 10% suspension of guinea pig red blood cells in Alsever's solution |
| Influenza Anti-A/California/7/09 HA serum | NIBSC | 14/134 | Used as positive control at the HI assay |
| Influenza Anti-A/Switzerland/9715293/2013-like HA serum | NIBSC | 14/272 | Used as positive control at the HI assay |
| Influenza Anti-A/Texas/50/2012-Like HA Serum | NIBSC | 13/178 | Used as positive control at the HI assay |
| Influenza Anti-B/Brisbane/60/2008-HA serum | NIBSC | 13/254 | Used as positive control at the HI assay |
| Influenza Anti-B/Massachusetts/02/2012 HA serum | NIBSC | 13/182 | Used as positive control at the HI assay |
| Influenza antigen A/California/7/09 (H1N1)(NYMC-X181) | NIBSC | 12/168 | Inactivated, partially purified A/California/7/09 (H1N1)(NYMC-X181) virus (ca. 46µgHA/ml) |
| Influenza antigen A/Switzerland/9715293/2013 (NIB88) | NIBSC | 14/254 | Inactivated, partially purified A/Switzerland/9715293/2013 (NIB88) virus (ca. 55µgHA/ml) |
| Influenza antigen A/Texas/50/2012 (H3N2)(NYMCX-223) | NIBSC | 13/112 | Inactivated, partially purified A/Texas/50/2012 (H3N2)(NYMCX-223) virus (ca. 74µgHA/ml) |
| Influenza antigen B/Brisbane/60/2008 | NIBSC | 13/234 | Inactivated, partially purified B/Brisbane/60/2008 virus (ca. 42µgHA/ml) |
| Influenza antigen B/Massachusetts/02/2012 | NIBSC | 13/134 | Inactivated, partially purified B/Massachusetts/02/2012 virus (ca. 35µgHA/ml) |
| Serum-Tubes | S-Monovette, Sardstedt | 01.1601.100 | For serum extraction with clotting activator |
| Turkey RBC (10%) | Cedarlane | CLC1180 | 10% suspension of turkey red blood cells in Alsever's solution |
| Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) | Gibco |
Cite This Article
The Hemagglutination Inhibition Assay to Detect Serum Antibodies Against a Target Antigen. J. Vis. Exp. (Pending Publication), e21787, doi: (2023).