Agglutination Definition:

Agglutination is the process of clumping of antigens with their respective antibodies.

Mechanism:
1. Agglutination reactions are used to particulate test antigens that are usually
conjugated to a carrier.
2. The carrier can either be artificial (such as latex or charcoal particles) or biological
(such as red blood cells).
3. The agglutination process involving red blood cells is termed hemagglutination,
and the process with white blood cells is termed leukoagglutination.
4. These conjugated particles then react with the patient’s serum which might or
might not contain antibodies.
5. The result of this test can be collected based on the observation of clumps resulting
from that antigen-antibody complex formation.
6. The sensitivity and accuracy of the result depend on a number of factors like the
duration of incubation with the antibody, amount and strength of the antigen
conjugated to the carrier, and test conditions like the pH and protein concentration.
Example of agglutination:
Agglutination is observed in Haemagglutination assay.
Haemagglutination assay:
1.Haemagglutination assay is a diagnostic technique used for the detection of viruses,
bacteria, and antibodies.
2.The antigens present in various viruses or bacteria bind with the sialic acid
receptors present on the surface of red blood cells, creating a network of RBCs and
viral particles.
3.The formation of these lattices depends on the concentration of viruses/ bacteria
and RBCs.
4.When the concentration of the antigen is too low, the RBCs are not arranged in
lattices but settle down at the bottom of the container.
5.Haemagglutination is based on the same principle as the one used by viruses during
infection.
6.Control is placed in one of the wells to compare the concentration of antigen
present in the sample.
7.Based on the amount of agglutination formed in the well, the concentration of the
antigen can be determined. The antigen concentration can then be used to determine
the concentration of the organism present in the sample.

Precipitation Definition:
Precipitation is a process where soluble antigens bind with their specific antibody at
an optimum temperature and pH, resulting in the formation of an insoluble precipitate.
Mechanism:
1.The interaction between the soluble antigen and antibody results in the formation of
insoluble lattice that forms precipitate out of the solution.
2.The process of precipitation has some requirements involving the valency of both
the antigen and the antibody.
3.For precipitation to take place, the antibody must be bivalent, and the antigen must
be either bivalent or polyvalent.
4.Precipitation takes place in the zone of equivalence, where the concentration of
antigen and antibody is equal. On either side of equivalence, precipitation doesn’t
occur if the concentration of either antigen or antibody is in excess or deficient.
5.Immunological techniques like immunodiffusion and electroimmunodiffusion
utilize the principle of precipitation reactions.
6.The principle of precipitation is also applied in analytical chemistry for the
detection of various functional groups of chemical substances.
7.If a lighter precipitate is formed, another process, termed flocculation, takes place.
In flocculation, the precipitate floats instead of sedimenting.

Example of precipitation:
Precipitation is observed in Immunodiffusion precipitation test
Immunodiffusion precipitation test:
1.Immunodiffusion is an immunological technique used for the detection and
quantification of antibodies and antigens, which are mostly immunoglobulins and
nuclear antigens.
2.In this technique, antigen and antibodies are applied simultaneously in two adjacent
wells.
3.As the antigen and antibody diffuse towards each other, precipitates are seen in the
form of lines as the antigen and antibodies interact with each other.
4.It is also possible to compare the concentration of different antigens by placing
multiple antigens in multiple wells.
5.Based on the formation of precipitation lines, the presence of different antigens
and, in turn, the presence of viruses or bacteria can be detected.