C5B9 Complement Terminal Complex (Blood)

Testing Laboratory

Auckland Te Toka Tumai | Auckland Hospital

Department

Immunology

Delphic Registration Code (Alpha Code)

C5B9

Test Code (Numeric Code)

7371

Laboratory Handling

Phlebotomy

EDTA Plasma

Transport

Specimens must be transported and stored at 4°C

Registration

C5B9

Sample Stability

Specimens must be centrifuged at 4°C within 4 hours of collection, separated and stored at -20°C or lower

Synonyms

Complement C5b-9 complex
Terminal Complement Complex (TCC)
Membrane Attack Complex (MAC)
Soluble C5b-9 (sC5b-9)

Turnaround Time

6 weeks

For non-liver transplant specimens

Specimen Type

• Plasma

Specimen Requirements

Tube/Container Type:

Preferred

• EDTA (Lavender Cap)

Preferred Sample Volume (ml)

4

Paediatric Specimen Requirements

Tube/Container Type:

Preferred

• EDTA (Lavender Cap)

Acceptable

• EDTA (Microtainer)

Minimum Sample Volume (ml)

1

Pre-testing Requirements

For liver transplant specimens only:
1) Phone the laboratory before the specimen is taken
2) Hand deliver the specimen to the laboratory
Note: if these two conditions are not met, the specimen will not be able to be processed urgently

Additional Specimen Information

Information for the laboratory

Urgent specimens (only for liver transplant patients, with the specimen hand delivered from DCCM):
- Notify Paul Austin (Serology Section Lead), 022 632 1554
- Centrifuge specimen at 4°C and retain under refrigeration for collection by VIM staff

All other specimens:
- Monday to Friday: 0800-1630 (standard working hours)
- Weekends and Public Holidays: register, centrifuge specimen, remove all plasma and store in the designated C5B9 area in ALSS freezer 36

Note: A dedicated blood specimen is required for this analysis

Aliquot Instructions

Sample Type

• Plasma

Minimum Volume (ml)

0.6

Transport to Lab

Chilled (2 - 8 degrees Celsius)
Frozen

Additional Referral/Aliquot Information

Prior to separation, specimens must be transported and stored at 4°C

Specimens must be centrifuged at 4°C within 4 hours of collection, separated and stored at -20 °C or lower

Send a frozen aliquot

Test Method

ELISA - automated
DS2 robotic processing

Limitations / Interference

Microbially contaminated, haemolysed, heat-treated, and/or high lipaemic plasma specimens

Uncertainty of Measurement

15%

References

1. Muller-Eberhard, H.J., The Membrane Attack Complex, Springer Seminars in Immunopathology, Vol. 7, p.93, 1984.
2. Lachmann, P.J. and Thompson, R.A., Reactive lysis: The complement-mediated lysis of unsensitised cells. II. The characterization of activated reactor as C56 and the participation of C8 and C9. J. Exp. Med., Vol. 131, p.643, 1970.
3. Gotze, O., and Muller-Eberhard, H.J., Lysis of erythrocytes by complement in the absence of antibody. J. Exp. Med., Vol. 132, p.898, 1970.
4. Kolb, W.P., Haxby, J.A., Arroyave, C.M., and Muller-Eberhard, H .J., Molecular analysis of the membrane attack mechanism of complement. J. Exp. Med., Vol. 135, p.549, 1972.
5. Kolb, W.P., and Muller-Eberhard, H.J., The membrane attack mechanism of complement. Isolation and subunit composition of the C5b-9 complex, J. Exp. Med., Vol. 141, p.724, 1975.
6. Podack, E.R., Kolb, W.P., and Muller-Eberhard, H.J., The C5b-6 complex: formation, isolation, and inhibition of its activity by lipoprotein and the S-protein of human serum. J. Immunol., Vol. 120, p.1841, 1978.
7. Podack, E.R. and Muller-Eberhard, H.J., Isolation of human S-protein, of an inhibitor of the membrane attack complex of complement. J. Biol. Chem., Vol. 254, p.9808, 1979.
8. MicroVue C5b-9 ELISA IFU

Contact Information