oct. 15,1917 Conglutination Test for the Diagnosis of Glanders 
73 
typical glanders lesions of a chronic nature being found. Five samples 
were questionable to complement fixation and negative to conglutina¬ 
tion. Nine samples were questionable to complement fixation and posi¬ 
tive to conglutination; no post-mortem reports were obtained. Nine 
samples were negative to complement fixation and questionable to con¬ 
glutination. 
RESULTS OP COMPLEMENT-FIXATION AND CONGLUTINATION TESTS ON 
MULE SERUMS 
One disadvantage of the complement-fixation test is found when testing 
mule serums and those horse serums which possess nonspecific comple¬ 
ment-fixing bodies. Mule serum is noted for its anticomplementary action 
against guinea-pig complement. These anticomplementary bodies are 
as a rule, however, partially or wholly destroyed by inactivating the serum 
with salt solution for 35 minutes at a temperature of 62° C. However, 
at this temperature in certain serums bacteriolytic amboceptors are also 
destroyed, and unless the serum is rich in these amboceptors, a misleading 
or doubtful reaction will be obtained owing to the fact that the inacti¬ 
vation at 62° C. has destroyed such a number of amboceptors that 
sufficient do not remain to fix all of the complement. In these cases the 
reaction would be interpreted as doubtful or negative, whereas in reality 
it would be a positive case. 
The conglutination test is of decided advantage in the testing of mule 
serums and horse serums possessing nonspecific complement-fixing bodies, 
as these serums possess no anticomplementary action against horse 
complement. 
Inactivation of the serum can be accomplished by heating for half an 
hour at 58° C., thus also eliminating the danger of destruction of bac¬ 
teriolytic amboceptors by too high an inactivation (Table VIII). 
Table VIII .—Comparative tests of 11 5 serums from mules 
Number of 
samples. 
Comple¬ 
ment- 
fixation. 
Congluti¬ 
nation. 
Post¬ 
mortem. 
Remarks. 
32 
32 + 
32 + 
3+ 
11 
II — 
II + 
0 
No post-mortem data. 
8 
8? 
8+ 
3 + 
Typical glanders lesions. 
12 
12? 
12 — 
0 
Negative to ophthalmic-mallein test. 
1 
1 — 
I? 
0 
5 1 
5 i- 
SI” 
Total number of samples tested= 115; positive to complement-fixation test=32; positive to conglutina¬ 
tion test= 51; negative to complement-fixation=63; negative to conglutination= 63; doubtful to comple¬ 
ment-fixation—20; doubtful to conglutination— 1. 
Thirty-two samples gave positive results to both tests. Fifty-one 
samples gave negative results to both tests. Eleven samples were nega¬ 
tive to complement-fixation and positive to conglutination; no data 
