Note on the Quantitative Relations of Antigen and Antibody in Agglutination and Precipitation Reactions

[摘要] One of the things that has puzzled bacteriologists and has been particularly difficult to harmonize with our conception of the unity of the sensitizers giving the different antibody reactions with one and the same antigen has been the fact that in doing agglutination reactions against bacteria it has been possible to dilute the serum often several thousand times before extinction of the reaction, whereas in doing precipitation reactions the antigen can be diluted several thousand times, but if the serum is diluted its reaction fades out, usually at dilutions of 1:10, rarely extending beyond dilutions of 1:50.The explanation for this phenomenon seems relatively simple if one considers it from the point of view of the mechanics of flocculation. It is likely that bacterial agglutination by a specific antiserum takes place as follows: The antibody, which is inseparable from certain globulin fractions of the serum and, therefore,—physically considered—is globulin, coats the exposed particles, the coating taking place specifically by reason of chemical affinities between this antibody globulin and the antigen.

[学科分类] 生物科学（综合）