Nov. 19. 1921 Hemotoxins from Parasitic Worms 395 



inactivated serum is added act as complement; in other words, a mixture 

 of inactivated serum and soap can activate a hemolytic system (washed 

 red blood corpuscles plus specific antiserum) . 



The present writer endeavored to answer the following questions: 

 Is the fresh body fluid of Ascaris lumbricoides , which, as has already been 

 shown, has no hemolytic power, capable of activating a hemolytic sys- 

 tem? In dther words, does it contain complement? Second, can a 

 combination of inactivated serum and an alcoholic extract of body sub- 

 stance of A. lumbricoides from which the ether-soluble fraction has been 

 removed, and which contains whatever soluble soaps the parasite has,^ 

 activate a hemolytic system? The answers to these questions will be 

 found in the results of the following experiments. 



One cc. of washed sheep red blood corpuscles was mixed with a unit 

 of specific inactivated antiserum (amboceptor) determined by previous 

 titration. To one tube containing this mixture a certain quantity of 

 fresh guinea-pig serum (complement) was added, sufficient to activate 

 the amboceptor — that is, to cause it to combine with the blood corpuscles 

 and to produce hemolysis. The quantity of complement necessary to 

 activate the hemolytic system was determined by previous titration. 

 Hemolysis was produced in 30 minutes at 37° C. To a series of 10 tubes 

 containing the mixture of amboceptor and sheep red blood corpuscles 

 various quantities of body fluid collected from living swine ascarids under 

 aseptic precautions shortly after the worms had been removed from their 

 hosts were added. The quantities of fluid added to these tubes ranged 

 from 0.1 cc. to 10 cc. These tubes were shaken and incubated at 

 37° C. for one hour. No hemolysis was observed in any tube. The 

 tubes were then put in a refrigerator for 20 hours longer, but the blood 

 corpuscles remained intact. It should be stated in this connection that 

 the body fluid in question was free from bacteria, since a portion of it was 

 thoroughly mixed with melted agar which was plated and incubated. 

 The plates remained sterile. Ascaris fluid lacks, therefore, a substance 

 (complement) which is capable of activating a hemolytic system. 



As to the combination of inactivated normal serum with an alcoholic 

 extract of Ascaris lumbricoides, the following experiment was performed: 

 Dried ascarids were powdered, extracted in warm alcohol, and the alco- 

 holic extract after evaporating the alcohol was washed with ether. The 

 ether, as is known, removes neutral fats, fatty acids, lecithin, cholesterin, 

 and other lipoids. The ether-insoluble substance was then dissolved in 

 salt solution and combined with normal guinea-pig serum that had been 

 heated to 51° C. to determine whether this combination can act as com- 

 plement, that is, whether it can activate a hemolytic system.^ To one 



^ The presence of soaps in ascarids is affirmed by Flury (.1Q12). 



' According to Noguchi, similar chemical fractions of mammalian tissues combined with inactivated 

 normal serum act as complement. 



70495°— 21 2 



