DETECTION OF ANTIGENS CARRIED BY ERYTHROCYTES AND OF ANTI-ERYTHROCYTE ANTIBODIES

Provided is an in vitro method for identifying a plurality of antigenic molecules carried by the erythrocytes of an individual, and/or for identifying a plurality of antibodies against antigenic molecules carried by erythrocytes, in a biological sample, said antigenic molecules carried by the erythrocytes consisting of molecules of the HLA system, or of phosphatidylserine, said method comprising a) identifying a plurality of antigenic molecules carried by the erythrocytes of an individual, by (i) bringing said sample containing erythrocytes into contact, in a single test receptacle, or in several separate test receptacles, with groups of distinguishable beads, each group of distinguishable beads carrying a given antibody, specific for an antigenic molecule carried by erythrocytes, which differs from one group of beads to the other, under conditions which allow the erythrocytes to bind to the antibodies, without agglutination, said erythrocytes being labelled before or after they have been brought into contact with said groups of beads, (ii) eliminating the erythrocytes which have not bound to said antibodies, and (iii) identifying the group of beads having bound the labelled erythrocytes, thereby allowing the identification of the antigens carried by the erythrocytes detected; and/or b) identifying a plurality of antibodies against antigenic molecules carried by erythrocytes in a biological sample, by (iv) bringing said sample into contact, in a single test receptacle, or in several separate test receptacles, with groups of distinguishable beads, each group of distinguishable beads carrying (1) erythrocytes or (2) erythrocyte membrane fragments, of known phenotype which differs from one group of beads to the other, under conditions which allow the antibodies or the activated serum complement fractions present in the sample to bind to the erythrocytes or to the erythrocyte membrane fragments without agglutination, (v) eliminating the antibodies or activated serum complement fractions which have not bound to said erythrocytes or to said erythrocyte membrane fragments, (vi) labelling the bound antibodies and/or the bound activated serum complement fractions, and (vii) identifying the group of beads having bound the labelled antibodies or the labelled activated serum complement fractions, thereby allowing the identification of the antibodies against antigenic molecules carried by the erythrocytes, that are present.