Detection of Antibodies in the α-2 and γ-Globulin Fractions of Human Tuberculous Sera

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Abstract
Summary: Human tuberculous and nontuberculous sera were fractionated by means of the continuous flow paper electrophoresis method. Precipitin tests were then performed, using the α-2 and γ-globulin fractions as the sources of antibody, with OT, PPD, and an unheated culture filtrate of tubercle bacilli as the sources of antigen. Both the tuberculous and control sera gave negative results before fractionation. After fractionation, the control sera remained negative. Of the 14 patients' sera, 12 became positive, 7 with both fractions, 3 with γ-globulin alone and 2 with α-2 globulin alone. The α-2 globulin fraction, in those cases where both were positive, generally precipitated earlier than the γ-globulin fraction. In a comparison between the agar doublediffusion test with whole serum and the precipitin test with fractions of the same serum, the latter was positive in seven out of eight samples, whereas the former was positive in three out of the eight.

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