THE DIAGNOSTIC IMPORTANCE OF THE HETEROPHILE ANTIBODY TEST IN LEUKEMIA

Abstract

Heterophil agglutinins in the blood sera of 21 leukemic cases were confined to low titers; less than 1:4 in 20 instances. In most of the conditions simulating leukemia, heterophil agglutinins were found over a wider distribution of titers, up to 1:16. Intraven. administration of horse serum, which in a normal person elicits increase in conc. of heterophil antibodies, failed in 1 case of lymphoid leukemia to raise the heterophil antibody titer, nor did the patient develop serum disease. The restriction of heterophil antibody conc. in leukemia to low titers accords with previously known immunological characteristics of individuals with this disease.