Die Hämagglutination-Hämolyse-Reaktion nach Middlebrook und Dubos. Tierexperimentelle Untersuchungen und klinische Ergebnisse

Treatment of sheep erythrocytes with suitable concentrations of tannic acid render them capable of adsorbing certain protein molecules from solution in saline. Red cells which have adsorbed proteins in this way are agglutinated after washing by the homologous antiprotein sera, even by high dilutions. Through hemagglutination sera can be titrated for antibodies against antigens adsorbed on the cells exposed to tannic acid. Furthermore, small amounts of the antigens can be detected through their power to inhibit hemagglutination of the treated cells.

A hemagglutination reaction has been described between sheep erythrocytes treated with a component of a polysaccharide fraction of mammalian tubercle bacilli and the sera of experimental animals or of tuberculous patients. Evidence has been presented for the specificity of this reaction. A modification of the test, involving an inhibition reaction, has been developed for the detection and quantitation of minute amounts of the material responsible for the hemagglutination reaction.