HI Assay
HI Assay
The hemagglutination assay is a method for titering influenza viruses based on their ability to
attach to molecules present on the surface of red blood cells. A viral suspension may agglutinate
the red blood cells, thus preventing them from settling out of suspension. By serially diluting a
virus in a 96-well plate and adding a consistent amount of red blood cells, an estimation of the
amount of virus present can be made.
RBC preparation:
1. 4 ml of blood is pipetted into a 15 ml conical and topped off with PBS.
2. Spin in tabletop centrifuge at 800 rpm for 10 minutes.
3. Aspirate the supernatant without disturbing the blood cells.
4. Add 12 ml PBS and mix by inverting – do not vortex.
5. Spin at 800 rpm for 5 minutes and repeat wash two more times.
6. Aspirate supernatant after final wash and add enough PBS to make a 10% solution of red
blood cells. This solution is useable for one week.
7. Make a final working solution of 0.5% RBCs in PBS.