Abstract
Summary
The hemagglutination titers of active, bacteriologically positive, cases of Hansen's disease were significantly higher than those of arrested, bacteriologically negative, cases of this disease, and frequently much higher than those encountered in the active cases of tuberculosis examined. The immunological response against antigenic components of the tubercle bacillus elicited by infection with Hansen's disease appears to be very marked and distinct. The inability to grow Mycobacterium leprae has naturally hampered serological studies of Hansen's disease. The hemagglutination technic of Middlebrook and Dubos provides a laboratory tool which may be very useful in future studies of this entity.
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