A rapid method of producing a hemolytic serum

Abstract

Fornet and Müller 1 were first to suggest the intensive method of immunizing animals by giving large doses of serum for producing precipitins intra-peritoneally on successive days. Such a method apparently gave rise to a potent precipitating serum and they claim equally successful results in producing hemolysins. These results as regards hemolysins were not confirmed in a later communication by Bonhoff and Tsuzuki. 1

We have found that one can obtain uniformly a sufficiently potent hemolytic serum for fixation tests by immunizing rabbits with washed sheep blood in a dose of one to two cubic centimeters administered intravenously on three successive days. The hemolytic titer of such a serum four days after the third injection is usually 1 to 2,000. In other words, it is possible to produce a thoroughly reliable hemolytic serum in one week by this method.

Further details of this intensive method of immunizing to produce hemolytic sera and also its use in producing precipitins, bacteriolysins, agglutinins, and antitoxins will form the basis of a more extensive communication to be published in the Pathological series of the University of California Publications.