The Latex Agglutination and Inhibition Reactions

Abstract

C INCE the observation by Cecil et al.,¹ in 1930, that ^ serum from patients with rheumatoid arthritis would agglutinate certain strains of streptococci, and by Waaler,² in 1940, that such serums would also agglutinate sheep cells sensitized with rabbit antisheep-cell serum, it has become clear that serums from rheumatoid patients contain a factor (or factors) that is either absent or present in minimal amounts in the serums of normal persons. The presence of such a factor has been demonstrated not only by a variety of serologic indicator systems but also by paper chromatography,³ ion-exchange chromatography⁴ and the ultracentrifuge.⁵ Although . . .