Acid-Serum
(Ham’s) Test
Principle:
Patient’s red cells are incubated in
an isotonic solution at an acid pH and amount of hemolysis is compared to that of a normal control in both
normal plasma and patient plasma.
Complement is activated by acid
solution and if cells are more sensitive to lysis there will be higher amounts of hemolysis as is the case
in PNH cells and HEMPAS cells which will be greater than that which occurs in control (normal cells).
Hemolysis occurs in both normal plasma and patient plasma.