immune serum

serum /se·rum/ (sēr´um) pl. serums, se´ra   [L.]

1. the clear portion of any liquid separated from its more solid elements.

2. blood s.

3. antiserum.

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antilymphocyte serum  (ALS) antiserum derived from animals immunized against human lymphocytes; a powerful nonspecific immunosuppressive agent that causes destruction of circulating lymphocytes.

antirabies serum  antiserum obtained from the blood serum or plasma of animals immunized with rabies vaccine; used for postexposure prophylaxis against rabies if rabies immune globulin is unavailable.

blood serum  the clear liquid that separates from blood when it is allowed to clot completely, and is therefore blood plasma from which fibrogen has been removed during clotting.

foreign serum  heterologous s.

heterologous serum 

1. that obtained from an animal belonging to species different from that of the recipient.

2. that prepared from an animal immunized by an organism differing from that against which it is to be used.

homologous serum 

1. that obtained from an animal belonging to the same species as the recipient.

2. that prepared from an animal immunized by the same organism against which it is to be used.

immune serum  antiserum.

polyvalent serum  antiserum containing antibody to more than one kind of antigen.

pooled serum  the mixed serum from a number of individuals.

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immune serum

n.

See antiserum.

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immune serum.

See antiserum.

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serum

pl. sera, serums [L.] the clear portion of any animal or plant fluid that remains after the solid elements have been separated out. The term usually refers to blood serum, the clear, straw-colored, liquid portion of the plasma that does not contain fibrinogen or blood cells, and remains fluid after clotting of blood.

Blood serum from animals whose bodies have built up antibodies is called antiserum or immune serum. Inoculation with such an antiserum provides temporary, or passive, immunity against the disease.

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serum albumin mastitis test

a high concentration of serum albumin in milk indicates the presence of mastitis in the quarter.

antilymphocyte serum

see antilymphocyte serum.

serum breaks

in classical swine fever (hog cholera) vaccination when a serum-simultaneous vaccination program is not effective and it is assumed that the hyperimmune serum was ineffective.

serum clot time

see prothrombin consumption test.

serum enzymes

enzymes of individual tissues are released into the blood when the tissue is damaged or when there is much activity in it. The levels are used as a measure of activity or injury.

serum-fast

resistant to the effects of serum.

serum glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT)

see aspartate aminotransferase.

serum glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (SGPT)

see alanine aminotransferase.

immune serum

serum from an immunized animal, containing specific antibody or antibodies.

serum osmolality

a measure of the number of dissolved particles per unit of water in serum. See also serum osmolality.

pooled serum

the mixed serum from a number of animals.

serum protein

see serum protein.

serum sickness

a group of immediate or antibody-mediated hypersensitivity reactions (also referred to as type III hypersensitivities) that includes Arthus reaction, serum sickness and immune complex diseases. The pathogenesis involves formation of bulky antibody-antigen complexes in the walls of small blood vessels; the complexes fix complement and cause necrosis and thrombus formation. There is infiltration of polymorphonuclear cells from which lysosomal enzymes are released.

serum-simultaneous immunization

an outdated method of vaccination, most popular at one time in the vaccination of pigs against classical swine fever (hog cholera). Live virus and antiserum to the virus were injected into the patient simultaneously; breakdowns in the system were frequent, leading to severe outbreaks of the target disease.

serum thymic factor

a humoral factor enhancing T lymphocyte responsiveness.