What is the importance of keeping serum stored at 4°C for no longer than 48 hours?

The importance of keeping serum stored at 4°C for no longer than 48 hours primarily revolves around maintaining the viability and functionality of various components within the serum, including complement proteins. Complement activity is crucial for many serological tests as it plays a key role in the immune response and can influence the outcomes of assays that rely on complement-mediated processes.

Storing serum at 4°C helps to slow down degradation and preserves the structural integrity of these proteins, allowing for accurate testing outcomes. If serum is stored for too long or at inappropriate temperatures, there can be significant loss of complement activity, which may lead to unreliable results in tests that require functional complement for accurate interpretation. Hence, adhering to the recommended storage conditions is essential for optimal testing performance.

Other factors, such as antibody detection or antigen reactivity, also play roles in laboratory analysis, but the specific mention of complement activity highlights the crucial aspect of functional integrity required for reliable testing in immunology and serology.