Direct antiglobulin 'Coombs' test. Incidence of positive findings in normal population: Retrospective study

The etiologic factor of positive DAT (direct antiglobulin test) results in the normal population is not well established. A review of the literature from the initial case report by Mollison has revealed that several persons with positive DAT results have been accepted as routine blood donors. Several of these sample yielded reactive elutes that suggested Rh specificity. For the most part, the cases reported in the literature appeared with no antecedent illness, except for two cases reported by Stratton and Torey, in which there was a history of a viral pneumonia. There is, however, no substantial evidence with regard to the etiology and serologic characteristics of positive DAT results in the normal population. The delineation of percent incidence of positive antiglobulin test results in a large population should be very helpful in identifying the population subgroups potentially affected by immunoproteins present on erythrocyte membranes. In addition, it has been over a decade since the last survey of positive DAT results in the normal population. To further analyze the incidence of positive DAT results in the normal population, a retrospective study of our donor population was undertaken.