Wassermann antibodies

Fig. 121. Determination of Wassermann antibody in the syphilis test by measurement of the transmembrane potential change (AE). (Redrawn from Aizawa et al., 1977).

Ultracentrifugation has proved helpful also in the characterization of specific antibodies and in the investigation of antibody production. Thus Kabat (166) was able to establish a molecular weight of approximately 185,000 for the antipneumococcal antibody obtained from the serum of a patient convalescing from type I pneumococcus pneumonia. Davis et al. (65) found that the Wassermann antibody was associated with two components, 2o = 7 [Pg.178]

An important recent advance was the determination by Davis, Moore, Kabat, and Harris (65) of the electrophoretic mobility of Wassermann antibody, which was found to migrate between the y- and 3-globu-lins. There is no visible peak in this region in the electrophoretic patterns of syphilitic sera, as the concentrations involved are too low. It was shown also that Wassermann antibody is associated with both a light and heavy globulin component, one having a sedimentation constant of 7 S, the other a 20-component (65). 

Schenermann, M.A., Hope, J.N., Kletke, C., Singh, J.K., Kimura, R., Tsao, E. I., Eolena-Wassermann, G., Comparability testing of a humanized monoclonal antibody, Synagis, to support cell line stability, process validation, and scale-up for manufacturing. Biologicals 1999, 27, 203-215. 

It should be noted, fast of all, that in all these fixation procedures, we can substitute, for bacterial bodies the extracts of these substances or toxins, as antigen. Thus tuberculin permits the examination of the antibodies contained in the serum of tuberculous subjects. Likewise for syphilis, the extracts of syphilitic organs can be used as antigens, and in the presence of the antibodies contained in the serum of infected individuals, will produce the fixation. Since the publication of the work of Wassermann, there have been numerous modifications introduced... 

In view of the high incidence of false-positive Wassermann and Kline tests, and also of anticomplementary sera in these patients, Coburn and Moore tested the electrophoretically separated globulin fractions for activity with the Wassermann and Kline antigens. The antibody was found to be chiefly in the 7 fraction, partly in the Pz fraction. 

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