Abstract
Many strains ofStaphylococcus aureus give a strong immunofluorescence reaction with heterologous preparations of fluorescent antibodies. It is not known exactly whether this reaction is specific or unspecific. For diagnostic purposes it is important to reduce this fluorescence to low values without affecting the reaction of the homologous antigen with antibody. Formolisation of staphylococci, otherwise showing a strong fluorescence with the conjugates of heterologous antisera, for a longer period than 3 hours and at a formol concentration of 5%, lowers the fluorescence of the staphylococci to minimum. Formolisation proved suitable also when the staphylococci were contained in tissues (spleen, lymph nodes). In this case the fluorescence of the staphylococci disappears and the fluorescence of the tissues is suppressed. By treatment with formol in the concentrations used, the immunofluorescence reaction betweenPasteurella tuarensis and the corresponding preparation of the tularemy antiserum was not significantly suppressed.
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Procházka, O. Effect of formol on the fluorescence of staphylococci. Folia Microbiol 11, 294–300 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02878900
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02878900