What indicates a negative result in a complement fixation test?

Prepare for the AAB Medical Technologist (MT) Generalist Exam with flashcards and multiple choice questions. Each question includes hints and explanations to boost your understanding. Get exam-ready now!

In a complement fixation test, a negative result is indicated by the absence of hemolysis. This test is used to detect the presence of specific antibodies in a patient's serum. When antibodies are present and they bind to the corresponding antigens, the complement system gets activated. In this scenario, the activated complement components will bind to the immune complexes formed by the antigen-antibody interaction, leading to the fixation of complement and preventing it from lysing red blood cells that are added to the test system.

Therefore, if there is no hemolysis, it means that the complement has been fixed, indicating a positive result for the presence of antibodies. Conversely, when there is hemolysis in the test, it indicates that complement did not fix to immune complexes, suggesting no significant detection of the antibodies, which would represent a negative result. The actual result is inferred from the presence or absence of hemolysis, making the absence of hemolysis a clear indicator of a negative result in the context of this test.

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