Possible Application of the IHI Test in the Species Identification of Hair

Abstract

Immunological species differentiation of keratein from hair has previously been demonstrated by the precipitin ring test in tubes (Pillemer et al. 1939) and by the indirect hemagglutination test (Simonsen 1970). In the present study the possibility of species identification of s-carboxymethylkeratein (SGMK) from single hairs was examined. SCMK and rabbit anti-SCMK sera from man, horse, dog and ox were prepared according to methods described by Gillespie (1962) and Simonsen (1970, 1971). Suitable antisera were used for the indirect hemagglutination-inhibition (IHI) test (Stavitsky 1954). The antisera were absorbed with heterologous SCMK and the inhibition test performed using SCMK extracted from 5 cm stretches of hairs by reduction and alkylation in 1 ml fluid volumes. To each vial containing 0.5 ml of antiserum in a serial 2-fold dilution row of the respective antisera was added 0.05 ml of a homologous or a heterologous single-hair SCMK. After incubation at 37 °C for 30 min. SCMK-coated goat erythrocytes were added and the test read after incubation at 20 °C for 18 hrs.