Agglutinin Anti-T

Anti-T agglutinins are antibodies to the Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen that appear in red blood cells and other cells under the action of neuraminidase from bacteria and viruses.

Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen is a carbohydrate N-acetylneuraminic acid, which is the terminal residue of carbohydrate chains on the surface of red blood cells and other cells. This antigen is destroyed by the enzyme neuraminidase.

As a result, cryptoantigens are exposed on the surface of the cells, to which the body begins to produce antibodies - anti-T agglutinins. They cause agglutination (sticking together) of red blood cells, which leads to disruption of their function.

The appearance of anti-T agglutinins indicates infection of the body with viruses or bacteria containing the enzyme neuraminidase. Therefore, the determination of these antibodies is used to diagnose the corresponding infections.