reagin

reagin
/ree ay"jin, -gin/, n. Immunol.
1. Also called Wassermann antibody. an antibody formed in response to syphilis and reactive with cardiolipin in various blood tests for the disease.
2. an antibody found in certain human allergies, as hay fever and asthma.
[1910-15; < G Reagin, equiv. to reag(ieren) to react + -in -IN2]

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also called  homocytotropic antibody , or  prausnitz-küstner antibody 

      type of antibody found in the serum and skin of allergically hypersensitive persons and in smaller amounts in the serum of normally sensitive persons. Most reaginic antibodies are the immunoglobulin E (IgE) fraction in the blood. Reagins are easily destroyed by heating, do not pass the placental barrier (i.e., an allergic mother cannot passively make her child allergic), and have a much longer life-span than other types of antibodies. Reaginic antibodies can be transferred passively to a second person; thus, blood transfusions from allergic donors have occasionally produced temporary identical allergies in the nonallergic recipient for a brief time. See also allergy; atopy.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • reagin — [rē ā′jin] n. [< REAGENT + IN1] a type of antibody in the blood associated with some allergic diseases …   English World dictionary

  • reagin — (re ah jin) Antibody that mediates immediate hypersensitivity reactions. IgE is the major reagin in humans …   Dictionary of microbiology

  • reagin — re•a•gin [[t]riˈeɪ dʒɪn, gɪn[/t]] n. 1) imu an antibody formed in response to syphilis in various blood tests for the disease 2) bai (mcr imv)imu an antibody found in certain human allergies, as hay fever and asthma • Etymology: 1910–15; < G… …   From formal English to slang

  • reagin — noun Etymology: International Scientific Vocabulary, from reagent Date: circa 1911 1. a substance in the blood of persons with syphilis responsible for positive serological reactions for syphilis 2. an antibody (as IgE in humans) that mediates… …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • reagin — Reaginic antibodies; an outmoded term for IgE …   Dictionary of molecular biology

  • reagin — 1. Wolff Eisner term for antibody. 2. Old term for the “Wassermann” antibody; not to be confused with the Prausnitz Küstner antibody. 3. Antibodies that mediate immediate hypersensitivity reactions (IgE in humans). 4. SYN: homocytotropic antibody …   Medical dictionary

  • Reagin — Rea|gi̱n s; s, e (meist Mehrz.): vom Organismus gegen eingedrungene Infektionserreger gebildete Antikörper …   Das Wörterbuch medizinischer Fachausdrücke

  • Reagin — Re|a|gin das; s, e (meist Plur.) <zu ↑...in> vom Organismus gegen eingedrungene Infektionserreger gebildeter Antikörper (Med.) …   Das große Fremdwörterbuch

  • reagin — re·agin …   English syllables

  • reagin — n. a type of antibody, formed against an allergen, that has special affinity for cell membranes and remains fixed in various tissues. Subsequent contact with the allergen causes damage to the tissues when the antigen antibody reaction occurs. The …   The new mediacal dictionary

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