An antibody that under suitable conditions combines with and causes its specific and soluble antigen to precipitate from solution. SYN: precipitating antibody.
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pre·cip·i·tin pri-'sip-ət-ən n any of various antibodies which form insoluble precipitates with specific antigens and some of which are used in serological testing
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n.
any antibody that combines with its antigen to form a complex that comes out of solution and is seen as a precipitate. The antibody-antigen reaction is specific; the precipitin reaction is therefore a useful means of confirming the identity of an unknown antigen or establishing that a serum contains antibodies to a known disease. This test may be performed in watery solution or in a semisolid medium such as agar gel.
see also agglutination.
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pre·cip·i·tin (pre-sipґĭ-tin) an antibody to antigen that specifically aggregates the macromolecular antigen in vivo or in vitro to give a visible precipitate.Medical dictionary. 2011.