Abstract
Summary
Tuberculin irreversibly aggregates rabbit platelets suspended in their native plasma. Phase contrast microscopy shows shape change and tightly packed aggregates. Inactivation of complement components by heat, hydrazine, cobra venom factor, and zymosan inhibit the reaction. Recombination of heat and hydrazine-treated plasma restored the capacity of tuberculin to initiate platelet aggregation. A delayed and diminished pattern of aggregation was observed in plasma chelated with EGTA while no response was observed in plasma anticoagulated with EDTA. The findings indicate that tuberculin can cause aggregation of rabbit platelets through a complement dependent mechanism, possibly utilizing the alternate pathway.
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