Hi Brenda There are a number of reports in the literature of cross-reacting antibodies of bacterial origin that react with the K antigen. At least one of them describes anti-K in an infant that was about 20 months old with no history of transfusion (I could find the reference if you'd like). I have seen at least one myself in a patient with no transfusion history. The antibody was not stable in the sample over time (we attempted to use the sample for training) and it was IgM. The anti-K was not detectable in a subsequent sample. As for leaving the antibody - its a difficult decision, however transfusing K negative red cells is relatively easy considering the frequency of the antigen - I personally would leave it. Your colleague may not be at fault here and it is quite possible that it was not mis-identified or mis-detected. Cheers Pam
Hi Brenda There are a number of reports in the literature of cross-reacting antibodies of bacterial origin that react with the K antigen. At least one of them describes anti-K in an infant that was about 20 months old with no history of transfusion (I could find the reference if you'd like). I have seen at least one myself in a patient with no transfusion history. The antibody was not stable in the sample over time (we attempted to use the sample for training) and it was IgM. The anti-K was not detectable in a subsequent sample. As for leaving the antibody - its a difficult decision, however transfusing K negative red cells is relatively easy considering the frequency of the antigen - I personally would leave it. Your colleague may not be at fault here and it is quite possible that it was not mis-identified or mis-detected. Cheers Pam