AGGLUTINATION OF SENSITIZED SHEEP ERYTHROCYTES AND COLLODION PARTICLES BY TUBERCULOUS AND NORMAL SERA 1

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Abstract
Hemagglutination tests using sheep erythrocytes sensitized with either 4 times concd. Old Tuberculin (O. T.) or an aqueous extract of tubercle bacilli and collodion particle agglutination tests using the latter antigen were detd. with TB and non-TB sera. Using O. T.-sensitized RBC, titers of 1:16 and higher (considered diagnostically significant by others) were obtained with 28% of 21 non-TB and 54% of TB sera. Using aqueous extract-sensitized RBC, "significant" titers were obtained with 39% of 28 non-TB and 74% of 43 TB sera and using aqueous extract-sensitized collodion particles, with 35% of 28 non-TB and 65% of 43 TB sera. There was no correlation between the occurrence of agglutinins in non-TB sera and skin reactivity to tuberculin nor did repeated intracut. injns. of tuberculin in healthy, skin-test-neg. individuals raise titers. Correlation of titers with disease activity was imperfect. Collodion particles and sheep erythrocytes appeared to adsorb different fractions of the complex aqueous extract antigen. Some indication was obtained that the hemolytic modification (using O. T.) was more specific than the hemagglu-tination test. None of the tests as employed was sufficiently specific to be useful in the diagnosis of tuberculosis; however, the occurrence of high titers in a greater % of TB than non-TB sera probably indicates that the tests have some significance. Irregularities might be due to the use of unsuitable antigens or to peculiarities of antibody for the tubercle bacillus or to non-specific constituents of serum as yet unidentified.