A potency test of tuberculin.

The tuberculin for Mantoux-test is neither heated nor filtered after diluting, of course. Heating of a diluted tuberculin was once made half in fun. And as stated in section 3.1 and 6.1, a diluted tuberculin was sealed in ampuls, and heated by autoclaving for 20 minutes at 15 pounds pressure (120•Ž). After this precedure we saw a curious result: the potency was lost on the whole, of course, but the weakening of the strength was seen more severely in redness than in induration. This phenomenon was fully discussed in sections given above. This was the case in which a tuberculin was grossly heated. What will be the result, when a diluted tuberculin gently heated, such as 56•Ž 1 hour? A tuberculin diluted 1000 times with buffer was sealed in ampuls and heated one hour at a temperature of 56•Ž. This heated tuberculin was called M2, and compared with M1 which is the standard of National Institute of Health (1500 times dilution). To carry out the test, further dilutings with buffer were made as follows:•\