RT Journal
A1 Pickard RJ
T1 COlorimetric standardization of the cell suspension in the wassermann reaction
JF Journal of the American Medical Association
JO Journal of the American Medical Association
YR 1919
FD April 12
VO 72
IS 15
SP 1074
OP 1074
DO 10.1001/jama.1919.26110150002011a
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.1919.26110150002011a
AB Of the five factors entering into a complement fixation reaction, such as the Wassermann, one of the most important to standardize is the amount of cells to be hemolyzed. On this quantity, the erythrocytic mass, is based the amount of hemolytic amboceptor to be used, and from these the quantity of complement is derived by titration. The preliminary titration of the amboceptor-complement balance required for hemolysis determines the quantity of complement which may be fixed by an antibody contained in the serum used in the main test. Variations, therefore, in the quantity of cells to be hemolyzed directly affect the diagnostic value of the fixation reaction.This is not true of a "loose system" when only strong positives are sought, in which many units of both complement and of amboceptor prevent the possibility of fixation from anything less than an overwhelming amount of antibody. In such tests delicacy in the