Influenza complement fixation tests designed for use with ferret serum are described. Complement-fixing antigens derived from influenza ferret lungs were unsatisfactory due to their low content of soluble antigen; those prepared from mouse lungs or developing chick embryo membranes proved to be better antigenically and were reliable when the various reagents in the test were properly adjusted t...

1. The maximum activity of an antihuman hemolytic amboceptor may be obtained by employing the homologous or heterologous complement, according to the variable relations existing between the species furnishing the amboceptor and the one supplying the complement. Thus, some amboceptors are best reactivated by the complement of the same species, while others may act most strongly when reactivated ...

In regard to the development of allergic contact dermatitis and autosensitization dermatitis, skin protein, particularly epidermal protein is regarded to play an important role as antigen. The localization of the specific skin antigen in the epidermis has been suggested by investigations of heterologous and homologous immunization. In order to determine the antigenicity of epidermal cells, the ...

A woman who had had high titres of rubella antibodies some months before she became pregnant gave birth to an infant in whom congenital rubella was confirmed at 4 months. Rubella haemagglutination inhibition tests, complement fixation tests, and immunofluorescence tests with anti-human IgG were carried out on sera from the mother. Rubella antibody titres in sera obtained in March 1971, seven an...

In the experiments with cultured liver cells it is very important to know whether or not the cells in vitro have the same properties and functions as in vivo. The purposes of this work were to investigate the functions of the cultured liver cells and to identify functionally the liver cells cultured by our present method with the parenchymal liver cells. At first, the albumin production of the ...

The Serodia Myco II particle agglutination test, which the manufacturers claim exclusively detects IgM antibody, was compared with two IgM-specific tests, a mu-capture ELISA, and indirect immunofluorescence for their ability to detect recent Mycoplasma pneumoniae infection. In general there was good agreement among the three tests, all three having similar sensitivity. One hundred and nine (78%...

An adaptation of an enzyme immunoassay technique was developed to screen donor plasma for high titres of antibodies to cytomegalovirus (CMV). The technique uses microtitre plates treated with glutaraldehyde and coated with CMV antigen and an anti-IgG alkaline phosphatase conjugate to detect the captured antibody. Using an anti-CMV standard with a 1/64 titre by complement fixation, 34 (6.8%) of ...

The development, in recent years, of optimalproportions techniques has made possible a great increase in the sensitivity of complement-fixation tests, without any loss of specificity. This is particularly true of the Wassermann reaction. Since 1949 Price (1949a, 1949b, 1950a, 1950b) has shown that the performance of the test is greatly improved when the reagents are used in optimal amounts. His...