Comparison of the direct antiglobulin rosetting reaction with direct immunofluorescence in the detection of surface membrane immunoglobulin on human peripheral blood lymphocytes.

Comparisons were made between the Direct Antiglobulin Rosetting Reaction (DARR) and Direct Immunofluorescence (DIF) in the detection of surface membrane immunoglobulin of human peripheral lymphocytes. The DARR was more sensitive and the results with this testing procedure (as opposed to those with the DIF) were not influenced by various treatments of the lymphocytes before testing, such as incubation in AB serum at +/- 4 degrees, incubation in serum-free medium at 37 degrees or short exposure to acetate buffer at pH 4.0. Again the DARR (as opposed to the DIF) gave essentially the same results whether the red cell-linked antiglobulin was IgG or the F(ab')2 preparation. With mixed rosetting for both T and SmIg+/- lymphocytes, there was only 1% or less null cells and only 5% or less lymphocytes rosetted with both marker red cells.