Interlaboratory variation in the detection of clinically significant alloantibodies against human platelet alloantigens.

This report describes the results of eight workshop exercises which were designed to test the proficiency of laboratories in the detection of antibodies to human platelet antigens (HPA). Detection of the most clinically significant alloantibody, anti-HPA-1a, is adequate. However, despite improvements in consistency of test results between laboratories over the last 3 years, there is still a high probability that clinically significant antibodies against other HPA alloantigens will not be detected.