Abstract
Summary
The preparation of toxoplasmin, a skin testing antigen made of toxoplasma has been described. Toxoplasmin evokes reactions of a delayed (tuberculin) type of hypersensitivity in certain patients. There is a high correlation between toxoplasmin hypersensitivity and the presence of toxoplasma neutralizing antibodies. The latter may be of very low titre and may not be unequivocally demonstrable until an anamnestic rise has occurred following the injection of the skin test dose. The ease of performance and the rapidity with which clear-cut results are obtained, make the toxoplasmin skin test the most useful single aid in the diagnosis of past or latent toxoplasmosis, wherever isolation of the caustive organism is not feasible. A test based on dermal hypersensitivity has been described facilitating the differential diagnosis of neonatal hydrocephalus.
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