THYMOL TURBIDITY VALUES IN THE SERA OF NEWBORN AND PREMATURE INFANTS AND OF MOTHERS AT TERM

Abstract

The sera of 108 infants (premature and full term), 65 pregnant women at term, and 28 adult normal controls were studied with the thymol reagent. The mean degree of thymol turbidity of infant sera (0.77 ± 0.55 units) was found to be significantly lower than that of adult normals (1.65 ± 1.15 units) and pregnant women at term (2.1 ± 1.00 units). No correlation could be demonstrated to exist between the absolute globulin level or albumin-globulin ratio on the one hand, and the degree of thymol turbidity in the serum of either infants or mothers at term on the other. In the newborn group of premature and full term infants, no correlation could be found between the degree of thymol turbidity and the level of blood bilirubin as found in physiologic jaundice. It is suggested that the low thymol turbidity values obtained in infants may be related to low blood lipids or low beta-globulin concentration as described by other authors.