An Improved Method of Adjusting Commercial Colloidal Gold Solution Used in the Serum Colloidal Gold Test

Abstract

Department of Endocrinology T HE precipitation of serum colloidal gold by human serum has been reported to be due to the presence of serum gamma globulin. 1-2 ' 3 The serum colloidal gold test, when correlated with other clinical and laboratory findings, has proved of particular value in our institution as an aid to the diagnosis of struma lymphomatosa (Hashimoto's disease). 3-4 Its use in this disease was first reported by Cooke and Wilder, 5 and further discussed by Luxton and Cooke 6 more recently. Although electrophoretic analysis of the serum proteins is the most accurate quantitative measure of an increase in serum gamma globulin, its use is limited to a few large medical centers. The widespread use of the serum colloidal gold test has been limited by the basic difficulty of adjusting the pH of commercial colloidal gold solutions. The purpose of this report is to present the details of an improved method of adjustment of commercial Lange's colloidal gold solution*, and to review the method of performing the test which is a slight modification of that described by Maclagan. 7