Definition
Serum is blood plasma with the coagulatory proteins removed. It is a clear, pale-yellow, thin, and sticky fluid that moistens the surface of serous membranes or that is secreted by such membranes when they become inflamed. In blood, serum is obtained after coagulation, upon separating whole blood into its solid and liquid components. This is achieved whereby blood is drawn from the subject and is allowed to naturally form a blood clot. After blood is allowed to clot and stand, a centrifuge is used to extract the red blood cells and the blood clot, which contains platelets and fibrinogens. In practice, blood serum is used in numerous diagnostic tests as well as blood typing.
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References and Further Reading
Abbas, A. K., & Lichtman, A. H. (2004). Basic immunology: Functions and disorders of the immune system (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: Saunders.
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Hartaigh, B.O. (2019). Serum. In: Gellman, M. (eds) Encyclopedia of Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_492-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6439-6_492-2
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