Summary
Quantitative complement-fixation data are given for the interaction of crystalline bovine serum albumin (BSA) and rabbit anti-BSA. It is shown that the extent of complement-fixation is not a direct linear function of the amount of antibody; graphs of the number of fifty per cent units of complement (C′H50) fixed against micrograms of antibody nitrogen yield an S-shaped curve. A 50 per cent complement-fixation unit (C′F50) is proposed as a measure of the complement-fixing potency of an antiserum. The complement-fixing activity per microgram of antibody N has been found to vary with the length and intensity of immunization; consequently, the C′ fixation titer of an antiserum should not be considered a direct measure of its antibody content. First- and second-course antisera did not yield maximal complement-fixation at the same antibody/antigen ratio, and their complement-fixation curves differed markedly in the zone of antigen excess.
BLOOD TESTS for syphilis continue to be the most productive tools for detection, for therapy guidance and patient management, and for epidemiologic surveys of population groups. New or modified test procedures are
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