Enhancement of reactivity of HLA-Cw antisera by extending the incubation time.

HLA-Cw antisera showing weak cytotoxic activity when tested at 1 1/2 hours in the conventional HLA-A,B, Cw testing procedure, were found to react better in the test using an extended incubation period of 3 hours. Of the 71 sera which were tested, 15 (21%) sera demonstrated an increase in anti-HLA-Cw reactivity against cells from donors possessing the corresponding Cw antigen. In addition, the use of B cells in the testing procedure appeared to be more favorable than T cells in the enhancement of reactivity of weak HLA-Cw antisera.