Cold antibodies are IgM antibodies that bind best below body temperature but can also react at room temperature. They are usually not clinically significant or cause Hemolytic Disease of the Fetus and Newborn (HDFN). An exception to this would be ABO antibodies. ABO antibodies react best below body temperature and are clinically significant.
Common cold antibodies include Lea, Leb, M, N, P, and I.
Cold antibodies can cause ABO discrepancies. To complete your ABO typing, you can warm the serum and cells to 37ºC. If needed, cold autoadsorptions and serum treatment with DTT can be performed.
