agglutination

agglutination
1. The process by which suspended bacteria, cells, or other particles are caused to adhere and form into clumps; similar to precipitation, but the particles are larger and are in suspension rather than being in solution. For specific a. reactions in the various blood group s, see Blood Groups appendix. 2. Adhesion of the surfaces of a wound. 3. The process of adhering. [L. ad, to, + gluten, glue]
- acid a. the clumping together of certain microorganisms at high hydrogen ion concentration.
- bacteriogenic a. the clumping of cells as a result of effects of bacteria or their products.
- cold a. a. of red blood cells by their own serum (see autoagglutination), or by any other serum when the blood is cooled below body temperature, but most pronounced below 25°C; the phenomenon results from cold agglutinins; may be seen occasionally in the blood of apparently normal persons or as a pathologic finding in patients with primary atypical pneumonia, infectious mononucleosis, and other viral diseases, certain protozoan infections, or lymphoproliferative neoplasms. See autoagglutination.
- cross a. SYN: group a..
- false a. SYN: pseudoagglutination (1).
- group a. a. by antibodies specific for minor (group) antigens common to several microorganisms, each of which possesses its own major specific antigen. SYN: cross a..
- immune a. a. caused by antibody (agglutinin) that is specific for the suspended microorganism, cell, or for an antigen that has been coated on a particle of suitable size.
- indirect a. SYN: passive a..
- nonimmune a. 1. a. caused by a lectin having a degree of specificity for a particular sugar, the mechanism of which is not understood; 2. a. that results from nonspecific factors, as in the case of acid a. or spontaneous a..
- passive a. a. of particles that have been coated with soluble antigen, by antiserum specific for the adsorbed antigen. SYN: indirect a..
- spontaneous a. nonspecific clumping of organisms in saline related to lack of polar groups in electrolyte solution.

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ag·glu·ti·na·tion ə-.glüt-ən-'ā-shən n a reaction in which particles (as red blood cells or bacteria) suspended in a liquid collect into clumps and which occurs esp. as a serological response to a specific antibody

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n.
the sticking together, by serum antibodies called agglutinins, of such microscopic antigenic particles as red blood cells or bacteria so that they form visible clumps. Any substance that stimulates the body to produce an agglutinin is called an agglutinogen. Agglutination is a specific reaction; in the laboratory, sera containing different known agglutinins provide an invaluable means of identifying unknown bacteria. When blood of different groups is mixed, agglutination occurs because serum contains natural antibodies (isoagglutinins) that attack red cells of a foreign group, whether previously encountered or not. This is not the same process as occurs in blood coagulation.

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ag·glu·ti·na·tion (ə-gloo″tĭ-naґshən) [L. agglutinatio] 1. the action of an agglutinant substance. 2. the process of union in the healing of a wound. 3. the clumping together in suspension of antigen-bearing cells, microorganisms, or particles in the presence of specific antibodies (agglutinins). Called also clumping.

Agglutination occurring on addition of anti-human immunoglobulin to erythrocytes carrying antibody (A) and not occurring when it is added to erythrocytes lacking antibody (B).


Medical dictionary. 2011.

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  • agglutination — [ aglytinasjɔ̃ ] n. f. • 1537; bas lat. agglutinatio ♦ Action d agglutiner, fait de s agglutiner. ♢ Biol. Immobilisation, réunion et sédimentation des germes d un bouillon de culture en présence d agglutinines. Phénomène analogue observé sur les… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Agglutination — bezeichnet: in der Medizin die Verklumpung von Zellen, siehe Agglutinine in der Linguistik das Kenntlichmachen grammatischer Funktionen durch Affixe, siehe Agglutinierender Sprachbau in der Linguistik bestimmte Wörter mit historisch… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Agglutination — Ag*glu ti*na tion, n. [Cf. F. agglutination.] 1. The act of uniting by glue or other tenacious substance; the state of being thus united; adhesion of parts. [1913 Webster] 2. (Physiol.) Combination in which root words are united with little or no …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • agglutination — agglutination. См. агглютинация. (Источник: «Англо русский толковый словарь генетических терминов». Арефьев В.А., Лисовенко Л.А., Москва: Изд во ВНИРО, 1995 г.) …   Молекулярная биология и генетика. Толковый словарь.

  • Agglutination — (v. lat. Agglutinatio),, 1) Anklebung, Anheftung; daher Agglutinirende Mittel (Agglutinantia), Klebmittel; sonst Mittel, die besonders heilsam geglaubt wurden zur Vereinigung zerbrochener, zerrissener od. zerschnittener Körpertheile; jetzt… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Agglutination — (lat., »Verklebung«), die Vereinigung der Ränder von Schnittwunden durch eine Schicht von gerinnender Flüssigkeit (»plastischer Lymphe«), wird unterstützt durch Naht und Klebmittel (Agglutinantia), z. B. Heftpflaster, Kollodium etc. A. heißt auch …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Agglutination — (lat.), Verklebung, die Vereinigung geschnittener Wunden durch gerinnende Flüssigkeit (Lymphe). Agglutinierende Mittel, Klebemittel zur schnellen Vereinigung der Wunden. Agglutinierende Sprachen, s. Sprache …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • agglutination — index adhesion (affixing), agglomeration, coalescence Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …   Law dictionary

  • Agglutination — Agglutination, Zusammenballung partikulärer Antigene (z.B. Bakterien, Viren, Blutzellen) durch spezifische Antikörper (Agglutinine) …   Deutsch wörterbuch der biologie

  • agglutination — AGGLUTINATION. s. f. Terme de Médecine. Action de réunir les chairs, les peaux séparées par quelque plaie …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • agglutination — (n.) 1540s, from L. agglutinationem (nom. agglutinatio), noun of action from pp. stem of agglutinare fasten with glue, from ad to (see AD (Cf. ad )) + glutinare to glue, from gluten glue, from PIE *glei (see GLUE (C …   Etymology dictionary

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