Nov. 10, 1913 
Diagnosis of Dourine 
105 
Table showing method of titration of antigen for the complement-fixation test in dourine . 
1 " 
Positive serum. 
Tube No. 
NaCl so¬ 
lution . 1 * 
Serum. 
Antigen . 3 
Comple¬ 
ment . 3 
U 
O 
rO 
Hemo¬ 
lytic 
serum . 4 
Blood cor¬ 
puscles . 6 
u 
B 
rf 
42 
3 
3 
0 
a 
fl 
a 
C. c. 
C. c. 
C. c. 
C. c. 
C. c. 
C. e. 
1 
2 
O. 15 
0. 05 
I 
X 
X 
1 
.3 
2 
2 
• T S 
. I 
I 
u 
I 
1 
u 
3 
2 
• 15 
• 15 
I 
3 
0 
I 
I 
3 
0 
4 
2 
• 15 
. 2 
I 
43 
I 
1 
42 
5 
2 
• *5 
■25 
I 
u 
I 
I 
u 
6 
2 
•15 
■3 
1 
I 
1 
Negative serum. 
I 
2 
0. 15 
0. I 
I 
.9 
I 
1 
.9 
2 
2 
• 15 
2 
I 
gi 
I 
1 
si 
3 
4 
2 
2 
• i 5 
• 
•3 
•4 
I 
I 
w O 
I 
I 
1 
1 
0 £ 
33 3 
H O 
5 
2 
• 15 
• 5 
I 
I 
1 
u.B 
6 
2 
• J 5 
. 6 
I 
I 
1 
£ 
1 0.85 per cent NaCl solution. 
3 Suspension of macerated spleen from rat. 
3 The determined smallest quantity established by titration, 
4 Sensitized rabbit serum. 
3 S per cent suspension of red blood corpuscles of sheep. 
Half the quantity of antigen which in the negative serum does not 
inhibit hemolysis, provided this quantity is at least double the amount 
necessary to produce complete fixation with the positive serum, indi¬ 
cates the titer of the antigen. For instance, if tubes Nos. 1, 2, 3, and 4 
of negative serum show complete hemolysis and Nos. 5 and 6 slight 
inhibition, and at the same time tubes Nos. 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2 of positive 
serum show complete fixation and No. 1 partial fixation, the quantity 
of antigen for the test proper would be 0.2 c. c. of the antigen. 
Occasionally the antigen does not prove satisfactory for the test and 
has to be discarded. In these cases the fixation in all tubes is apparently 
due to the excessive amount of proteids from the spleen. Experience 
has shown that the excessively large spleens contribute such an antigen. 
This, of course, is indicated by the titration undertaken prior to the regu¬ 
lar test. At other times it was found that the antigen proved satisfactory 
the following day, after it was allowed to stand in the test tube over¬ 
night and the supernatant fluid drawn off for the antigen. This is then 
retitered and the titer established in accordance with the results of the 
test. 
THE COMPLEMENT-FIXATION TEST 
The test proper for the diagnosis of dourine is carried out in a manner 
similar to that practiced for the diagnosis of glanders. 1 
1 A more detailed description of the technique of this method as applied to glanders is given by Mohler 
and Bichhom in Bulletin 136, Bureau of Animal Industry, entitled “The diagnosis of glanders by com¬ 
plement fixation/’ 
