A sensitive micromethod for measuring human reverse haemolytic plaque-forming cells

A micromethod is described for detecting human immunoglobulin-secreting cells (ISC) using a reverse haemolytic plaque assay (RHPA). Plaques are developed in monolayers of indicator erythrocytes on the botton of the wells in 96-well, flat-bottomed platic microtitre trays. The technique detects more ISC than the conventional RHPA in agarose and this increased sensitivity is not due to the formation of artifact plaques. Together with its relative simplicity and low cost, the sensitivity of the microwell method makes it suitable for use in large scale studies of human B lymphocyte function.