STANDARDIZATION AND PRESERVATION OF COMPLEMENT SERUM FOR WASSERMANN TEST

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Abstract
Laboratory workers who are familiar with the Wassermann test know that the serums from different guinea-pigs differ greatly in complement activity, and that under ordinary conditions complement rapidly deteriorates but can be preserved for varying lengths of time under suitable conditions. About two years ago I1showed that a number of complement serums from guinea-pigs gave results with the same human serum varying from 2 + to 10 +. Even greater differences have been observed since; serums from some guinea-pigs have given negative results while serums from other guinea-pigs gave 10 + with the same human serum. Such irregularities can be eliminated by selection of complement serum, probably by selective breeding of guinea-pigs, by selective feeding of guinea-pigs and by preservation of the good complement serums. SELECTION OF SERUM AND GUINEA-PIGS The preserved positive control serum, composed of a mixture of twenty syphilitic human serums, I diluted to such an extent that

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