SEROLOGICAL REAGENTS 315 



REAGENTS FOR PREPARATION 

 OF ANTIGENS 



BAGTO-BEEF HEART (B222) 



The discovery that alcoholic extracts of normal organs would act as antigens 

 for tests for syphilis and that the antigenic principles were associated with 

 lipoids, has resulted in much experimentation and research. The first description 

 of the preparation of desiccated heart muscle and its use for the extraction of 

 phosphatides belongs to Rubow.^ This method for the preparation of dried tissue 

 was improved by Erlandsen.^ Dried heart muscle was employed by Neymann and 

 Gager^ in 1917 for the preparation of Wassermann test antigen. In 1922, Kol- 

 mer* described the technique of desiccating beef heart for use in the antigen 

 employed in his modification of the complement-fixation test for syphilis. Many 

 extracts of desiccated beef heart tissues are now employed as the source of the 

 necessary antigenic lipoidal substances for use in both complement-fixation and 

 flocculation tests. 



Bacto-Beef Heart is a desiccated and powdered fresh beef heart tissue, trimmed 

 free from fat, possessing highly polytropic properties as each lot represents the 

 heart muscle of not less than several hundred animals. It has not been treated 

 with any solvent other than water. It contains a minimum of fat and moisture. 

 The production at one time of large quantities of Bacto-Beef Heart assures a 

 polytropic material, yielding extracts which are only slightly hemolytic and anti- 

 complementary and at the same time highly antigenic. Each lot is tested and 

 approved for its sensitivity and specificity by the laboratory designated for that 

 purpose by the author-serologists for use in the preparation of the following anti- 

 gens which are listed alphabetically: 



B. J. L. Flocculation Antigen Hinton Indicator 



B. J. L. Wassermann Antigen Kline Antigen 



Eagle Flocculation Antigen Kolmer Improved Antigen 



Eagle Wassermann Antigen Kolmer Improved Antigen (Reenforced) 



Bacto-Beef Heart has also been recommended for use in the preparation of the 

 antigens used in such other tests for the diagnosis of syphilis as those of Mazzini,^ 

 Rosenthal^ and Rytz.'^-^ It is also used in alcoholic^ and cholesterolized antigen, ^^ 

 Bacto-Beef Heart is not recommended for the preparation of the antigens used 

 for the Kahn tests. Bacto-Kahn Beef Heart as discussed on page 316, is recom- 

 mended for the preparation of Kahn Standard Antigen and Kahn Sensitized 

 Antigen. 



Bacto-Beef Heart should be stored in the refrigerator at 2-6°G. to secure the 

 most satisfactory antigens. 



A description of the preparation of the more widely used antigens employing 

 Bacto-Beef Heart is available upon request. 



1 Arch, exp. Path. Pharmakol., 52:173:1905. ^ J. Lab. Clin. Med., 21:934:1936. 



2 Zeit. physiol. Chem., 51:71:1907. 8 J. Lab. Clin. Med., 22:1186:1937. 



'J. Immunol., 2:573:1917. » Kolmer: Infection, Immunity, and Biologic 



* Am. J. Syphilis, 6:76:1922. Therapy, 455:1924. 



^ Am. J. Clin. Path., 9:163:1939. 10 Kolmer: Infection, Immunity, and Biologic 



^ Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med., 27:61:1929, Therapy, 456:1924. 



