Abstract
The experiments briefly reported here are based on the observation that serum from poliomyelitic monkeys prevents the precipitating effect of a gold chloride solution on tissue emulsions, particularly brain and cord extracts, while normal monkey serum apparently lacks this property. The phenomenon depends on observing certain quantitative relations, thus limiting the zone of comparable reactions to a definite experimental range. The stabilizing property of the immune serum, which is acquired comparatively early in the disease and tends to diminish somewhat in convalescence, is evidently an expression of the acute infectious process. Since the antigen in the test need not be specific, we have no way of telling whether the reaction is limited to the poliomyelitic infection exclusively. Control tests with sera obtained from monkeys inoculated with normal brain and cord and from monkeys subjected to extensive intradermal inoculation with vaccinia virus, so far have been negative.
The technique adopted after numerous variations tentatively as final, is briefly as follows: Three test tubes are filled each with 1.5 cc. of the supernatant of a centrifuged 5% monkey brain-cord emulsion. 0.2 cc., 0.15 cc. and 0.1 cc. of serum are added to the respective tubes, the volume in each tube then being equalized to a total volume of 2 cc. by the addition of corresponding amounts of 0.4% salt solution. Saline of the same strength is used in preparing the tissue emulsion. After 1 hour's contact, 0.075 cc. of a 1% gold chloride solution is added to each tube, care being taken to ensure an even mixture of all ingredients. After standing at room temperature for one hour the results are recorded. The test is profitably read again next morning.
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