Detection of anti-f on a 51-year-old Saudi female

Abstract

Anti-f/ce is a rare antibody but nevertheless associated with Hemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn (HDFN) and Hemolytic Transfusion Reactions (HTR). This antibody shows reaction against products of the seemingly common R0 or r haplotypes. Often detected with other Rh antibodies, these reactions are enhanced against cells pretreated with common protease enzymes. The findings concluded the presence of anti-f/ce using routine procedures. Although seemingly innocuous being 'enzyme only', cases as these must be dealt with proper discernment to avoid risks of HTR and HDFN. The purpose of this article is to report the detection of an anti-f on a 51-year-old female with unknown transfusion history by a routine blood bank and to show how these infrequent antibodies are being misdiagnosed which could be avoided.

Keywords

• antibodies detected by enzyme only
• anti-f/ce
• f antigen
• nonspecific antibody