Studies of influenza in hospitals of the British armies in France, 1918.

Date:
1919
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Studies of influenza in hospitals of the British armies in France, 1918. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    (b) Late reading. ¥ _ Of the 20 sera examined, 4 agglutinated one or more strains of B. influenzae at 1/200. - 6 5s LOU: 4 p 1/50. 6 failed to agelutinate any strain of B. influenzae against which they were tested (4 of these 6 were tested against 2 strains and 2 against 1 strain only). 99 9? 99 99 99 99 99 Comparing the two series A and B, although the numbers of sera tested are not great, the number of times that agglutination was observed was about the same in the two series, but agglutination occurred at a higher dilution in series A than in series B. In this connexion it is interesting to note that the serum was taken, on an average, ten days from the onset in series A, and, on an average, SOMOS days from the onset in the case of series B. aehh & SERIES /C. Unfortunately there is, as yet, only one completed observation in this series, the object of which was to study the agglutinin curve to B. influenzae i in patients suffering from influenza. In this case the first sample of serum was taken on the sixth day of the disease, and this agglutinated B. influenzae completely at 1 in 200 (immediate reading) ; a second sample was taken on the tenth day of the disease, and this agglutinated B. influenzae at 1 in 100 (immediate reading) ; a third sample was taken on the fifteenth day, and no agglutination was detectable by the naked eye at 1 in 50 at the immediate reading, but by next morning agglutination had occurred at this dilution. In making these agglutination tests the same strain of B. influenzae was used throughout. | V. CONCLUSIONS. (i) The sera from forty-two cases were examined for the presence of agglutinins to B. influenzae, and it was found that twenty-seven of these agglutinated the bacillus at a dilution of at least 1 in 50. (ii) The serum of normal healthy persons did not agglutinate the emulsions of B. anfluenzae used at a dilution of 1 m 50. (iii) Evidence was obtained that agglutinins to B. influenzae are developed at an early stage of the disease and that there is a rapid decrease of these agglutimins during convalescence Oe Fleming, Lancet, London, 1919, 1. 139). LC Ko OX \ | LIBRARY