Final answer:
A serum test may require different types of tubes based on the specific requirements of the test. Typically, glass tubes are used to allow the blood to clot, separating the serum from the blood cells. The choice of tube also depends on the test kit instructions or laboratory protocols.
Step-by-step explanation:
When administering a serum test, a lab technician might use a variety of tubes depending on the test's specific requirements. For instance, blood samples collected into tubes containing lithium heparin or K2EDTA are centrifuged to obtain plasma, which includes clotting factors.
To obtain serum, which is plasma without the clotting factors, the blood must first be allowed to clot. This clotting typically takes place in a glass tube over the course of approximately an hour. During this time, the clotting factors in the blood sample react to form a clot, separating the serum from the blood cells.
Serum is used to diagnose and monitor diseases, as well as classify blood types. Certain tests, like the Sure-Vue Color Mono Test, require special treatment of the reagents or test components, such as the use of horse red blood cells, which agglutinate in the presence of heterophile antibodies present in a patient's sample.
Under certain circumstances, such as minor cross-match tests, only a small aliquot of donor serum is mixed with patient red blood cells to detect agglutinizing antibodies in the donor serum. Serum tests can thus be very specific, and the tube to use will be dictated by the test kit instructions or by laboratory protocols.