A Capillary Tube Agglutination Test for Histoplasmosis

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Abstract
Summary: A capillary tube agglutination test, using stained particles from disintegrated yeast phase cells of Histoplasma capsulatum as antigen, is described. Serum specimens from rabbits reinfected with yeast cells of H. capsulatum were used to develop and standardize the CTA test and to evaluate its usefulness as compared to the complement fixation test. High titers of agglutinins were found to occur during the active stage of the disease, when animals exhibited signs and symptoms, but these titers diminished as the disease subsided. Complement-fixing titers also rose upon exposure of animals to living inocula, but these persisted in high titers after agglutinins had subsided. Encouraging results were obtained in the application of the CTA test to sera from human cases of histoplasmosis and these studies are to be expanded. The test as described is simple to perform, rapid, and the end points are strikingly obvious because of the stained antigen used. This antigen is easily prepared and remains stable for a long time. Large numbers of sera can be screened in a short time, using undiluted serum.

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