Positive Wassermann Reaction Research Articles

Cholesterol and cholesterol esters in blood showing a positive Wassermann reaction.

Cholesterol and cholesterol esters in blood showing a positive Wassermann reaction.

A study of the Wassermann reaction in one hundred and forty cases of diabetes mellitus

In a study of one hundred and forty cases of diabetes mellitus, a positive Wassermann reaction was found in sixteen cases. Eight of these sixteen cases presented signs of tertiary syphilis. These eight cases were treated for the existing syphilis. There was no increase in tolerance for carbohydrate following the treatment. This may be due to the fact that the fibrosis of the pancreas produced by the syphilis is not changed by the treatment.

THE PROVOCATIVE PROCEDURES IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF SYPHILIS

In June, 1917, Dr. J. H. Stokes and I 1 undertook the study of the effect of a small dose of arsphenamin in provoking a positive Wassermann reaction in previously negative blood serum in 103 cases, paying special attention to the value of the test in the diagnosis of obscure syphilis. I propose to review the results of a second series of 285 cases and of a special group of thirty Wassermann series. The provocation of the Wassermann reaction following an injection of arsphenamin was first suggested by Gennerich 2 in 1910; it was confirmed by Milian, 3 and later advocated as a useful procedure by other syphilographers of note in this country. Craig 4 believes that a normal variation occurs in successive Wassermann tests of the same patient. He does not believe that the fluctuation is due to technical error. Haller, 3 however, in a similar review attributed such

TWO CASES ILLUSTRATING UNUSUAL MANIFESTATIONS OF SYPHILIS

REPORT OF CASES Case 1.— The salient features of the case are: A gummatous invasion of the bladder wall resulting in dysuria, leading to an erroneous diagnosis of gonorrhea; cystoscopic examination revealing a sharply marginated growth in the bladder wall; a positive Wassermann reaction, and prompt relief after institution of anti-specific treatment. History.— A woman, aged 21, first seen Sept. 10, 1919, was referred to me by Dr. J. J. Eklund. She appeared to be well nourished, was 5 feet, 2 inches tall and weighed about 130 pounds. She admitted having had gonorrhea some time previously, but denied any other infectious disease and had always been well. Her chief complaint was frequent and painful urination which had lasted for four months, continually growing worse. She had been treated for a supposedly gonorrheal cystitis with bladder irrigations and internal medication, but without benefit. The urination was more frequent at night; there

Suggestions for a New Criterion of a Positive Wassermann Reaction based on an Analysis of 2334 Quantitative Tests

Examination of the records of a large number of quantitative Wassermann tests has suggested a new and simple criterion of a positive reaction. This is based upon a comparison of the amounts of complement giving complete lysis with any given serum, and with the negative control, respectively. Reasons are given for regarding this criterion as more satisfactory than that in common use. Details are given of the methods employed for the selection of a negative control serum, the estimation of degrees of lysis, and the provision of a suitable range of amounts of complement.

THE NATURE OF THE SUBSTANCE CAUSING THE COLLOIDAL GOLD REACTION

The colloidal gold precipitating substance in the spinal fluid of paretics is a globulin. It is not the Wassermann reacting substance and can be separated from the latter quantitatively. This explains why one may have a paretic curve in the gold test with either a positive or negative Wassermann reaction.

NONCONCOMITANCE OF SPINAL FLUID TESTS

There are five laboratory tests commonly applied to the spinal fluid in the diagnosis of disease of the central nervous system, namely: (1) Wassermann reaction; (2) test for globulin; (3) test for increased albumin; (4) cell count (increase called pleocytosis); (5) Lange's colloidal gold test. A positive Wassermann reaction in the spinal fluid is practically specific for neurosyphilis. A positive result in the other tests, in a general way, proves a pathologic reaction of an inflammatory nature in the central nervous system. At any rate, where an inflammatory condition of the nervous system exists tests 2, 3, 4, and 5 are usually positive. In other words, in meningitis, encephalitis, tumor with meningitis sympathica, vascular insults with secondary inflammatory reaction, traumatic injury, multiple sclerosis, these four tests are generally positive. In paretic or tabetic neurosyphilis all five are usually positive. The subject of this paper is the consideration of the relation

Two Instances of Human Sera showing Abnormal Anti-Complementary Power

Two instances are described of sera showing abnormal anti-complementary power. The amount of complement fixed by the serum was in the one case about six times, in the other about four times, greater than is normal. Examination of subsequent specimens from the patients showed that this inhibitory character was transient only. No feature common to the two cases was found to which the abnormality could be attributed. Attention is drawn to the rarity of this condition, but it is of practical importance in that such sera would be regarded as giving a positive Wassermann reaction if their behaviour in the absence of antigen were not observed.

THE COLLOIDAL GOLD REACTION IN FOUR HUNDRED AND NINETY-EIGHT PSYCHIATRIC CASES

The following report is an analysis of the colloidal gold reaction in 498 cases of various psychoses in which there was suspected a nervous syphilis from the clinical findings of pupillary changes, exaggerated or lost reflexes, speech defects, histories of early cardio$vascular involvement or apoplexies ; with miscarriages, still births, defective mental development or more frank syphilitic manifestations in the immediate relations. No case was punctured which did not show either a positive Wassermann reaction of the serum with suggestive neurological symptoms, or neurological symptoms which made dependence on a negative serum inadvisable. The colloidal gold reaction is of special interest in regard to the reliability of the test as a means of diagnosis of syphilis when all other tests are negative and as a method of differentiation between general paralysis of the insane and cerebrospinal syphilis. Lange's original method was at first used, but later the modification of Miller and his colleagues of Phipp Psychiatric Clinic, Johns Hopkins, was substituted. No solution was employed which showed the faintest tinge of purple, brilliant orangered solutions properly standardized being used. The Wassermann tests of serums and fluids were made by Dr. Sobei Ide in the labora¬ tories of the Psychopathic Hospital, Ann Arbor, Mich. The spinal fluid was examined in the Kalamazoo State Hospital laboratories, the pleocytic count being a bedside count which we have found to be more reliable. The test for globulin is Nonne's Phase 1, checked up occa¬ sionally by the Ross-Jones modification. Other tests of the fluid were routinely made, but not recorded for the sake of brevity and clearness. The disease types are grouped in order to facilitate conclusions in regard to the type of reaction which might be expected in definite dis¬ ease entities, especially where neurological symptoms existed but a syphilitic infection was doubtful and yet impossible to rule out. A small number of the cases have been examined at necropsy and the nervous tissues worked up in the laboratories. They are mentioned in the group to which they belong.

PROFOUND TOXEMIA AFTER ADMINISTRATION OF NEODIARSENOL (A BRAND OF NEO-ARSPHENAMIN)

That the administration of the various brands of arsphenamin and neo-arsphenamin are not free from danger is shown by this case: REPORT OF CASE A chemist, aged 26, who presented himself for examination and treatment, Dec. 5, 1917, had been exposed to infection eight weeks before. On the appearance of a lesion he reported promptly to his physician, who recognized a syphilitic chancre on the corona glandis. The patient appeared to be in excellent physical condition. The site of the chancre was markedly indurated, and a faint macular eruption covered the shoulders and abdomen. There was general adenopathy, and a positive Wassermann reaction. He received 0.6 gm. of neodiarsenol with absolutely no reaction. One week later, December 12, he reported for a second injection; the site of the chancre showed less induration, and the macular eruption had entirely disappeared; 0.75 gm. of neodiarsenol in 15 c.c. of freshly distilled sterile

White and Martin's Genito-Urinary Surgery and Venereal Diseases.

Since the death of the late Professor White, the junior author has associated with him, in revision, two men qualified to assist in maintaining the standard of former editions. Of the new things incorporated, whether matters of examination, of diagnosis, or of surgical or medical procedure, only those have been included that seemed to the authors to be of permanent value. Among the new topics are a brief practical presentation of the subjects of vaccines and serums; tests of renal function valuable as relating to operative risk; high frequency desiccation in bladder and other neoplasms; conservative and radical treatment of prostatic hypertrophy; laboratory diagnosis and control of treatment in syphilis, and therapeutic measures of other varieties that have won general approval. The conservatism of the authors toward important procedures is indicated in their statement that they have not found, practically, that a continued positive Wassermann reaction is a condition to

Bilateral Optic Nerve Atrophy in a Child, with Positive Wassermann Reaction and History of Infantile Convulsions

Bilateral Optic Nerve Atrophy in a Child, with Positive Wassermann Reaction and History of Infantile Convulsions

An interesting case of syphilitic pyrexia in an Indian native. The value of a positive wassermann reaction in diagnosis

An interesting case of syphilitic pyrexia in an Indian native. The value of a positive wassermann reaction in diagnosis Get access George C. Low, M.A., M.D. George C. Low, M.A., M.D. Joint Secretary Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, etc. Assistant Physician Seamen's Hospital, Albert Docks, London School of Tropical Medicine UK Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Transactions of The Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, Volume 9, Issue 8, July 1916, Pages 235–238, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0035-9203(16)90018-X Published: 01 July 1916

The Variations in Reaction of the Blood of Different Species as Indicated by Hemolysis of the Red Blood Cells when Treated with Acids or Alkalies

In 1913, at the Pasteur Institute of the University of Michigan an attempt was made to establish the Wassermann reaction on a chemical basis. The research in this direction dealt chiefly with the influence of salts, acids, and alkalies on the hemolytic system. It was first noted that any one of these, even in high dilution, had its influence on this biologic reaction. A specimen known to be negative to the Wassermann test, could be made to give a positive reaction by the addition of a trace of either acid or alkali. Furthermore, on the addition of a somewhat larger quantity of acid or of alkali, a positive specimen would give a negative reaction. Similarly, neutral salts would influence a negative specimen to the extent of causing a positive reaction. The opposite of this, however, was not true. Further experiments developed the fact that a series of positive and negative reactions, analogous in result to positive and negative Wassermann reactions, could be produced by an acid solution as antigen, and by rabbit serum, rendered acid or alkaline, as positive or negative serum. The acid serum would give a positive end result; while the alkaline serum would be negative. The analogy between the final results of these experiments and those of the Wassermann, coupled with the fact that the actual Wassermann could be influenced with acids or alkalies, and a negative specimen influenced with neutral salts, led to the assumption that the positive Wassermanns might be due to an increase in ions during the first incubation, either acid or alkaline ions, or those of neutral salts. This assumed to be a fact, the next step in the work was an investigation of the action of acids and alkalies on the hemolysis of certain blood cells. By allowing a fixed time interval for complete hemolysis of a definite blood cell suspension, the percentage of acid or of alkali

A PATHOLOGICAL STUDY OF SYPHILITIC AORTITIS AND ITS SEROLOGY

1. Syphilitic aortitis is a productive inflammatory process, the earliest and most constant feature of which is a perivascular round cell infiltration in the adventitia. 2. The typical gross picture of luetic aortitis is often obscured by a superimposed, diffuse atherosclerosis. In the early cases the aorta appears fairly normal, presenting only the characteristic histological changes. 3. A pure aortic insufficient valve, with the exception of an infectious endocarditis, is always luetic. 4. Cardiac hypertrophy is not a complication of luetic aortitis. When present it is usually associated with a nephritis. 5. The demonstration of Spirochoeta pallida, even in advanced specimens of syphilitic aortas, is doubtful. 6. An antigen prepared from alcoholic extract of guinea pig heart with the original Wassermann technique should be preferred in diagnosing luetic aortitis. 7. Positive complement fixations in patients suffering with syphilis for a period of about fifteen years or longer suggest the probability, at least, of histological luetic changes in the aorta in 80 to 90 per cent of the cases. 60 per cent of these die from aortitis. 8. About 94 per cent of patients suffering with aortitis give positive Wassermann reactions.

OPTIC NEURITIS AND THE COLOR FIELDS IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF SYPHILIS, NEURASTHENIA, HYPERTHYROIDISM, DEMENTIA PRIÆCOX, MANICDEPRESSIVE INSANITY, AND THIRD GENERATION SYPHILIS

1. From our experience in the last two years, we will say that syphilis, especially hereditary syphilis, is infinitely more common than any authorities have admitted or dreamed. 2. That the clinical evidences show the stigmata in the third, fourth, and even more generations. 3. That neurasthenia, the most widespread and common of nervous disorders, is absolutely caused by syphilis, and that it is not a psychoneurosis, but a distinct physical disease of the brain and cord. The psychoneurosis element is entirely secondary to and caused by syphilis. 4. That dementia praecox, manic-depressive insanity, general paresis are only different grades of the disease. Insanity is cerebrospinal syphilis of different degrees, ranging from irritation, mild inflammation to actual degeneration of tissue. 5. Hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, interstitial nephritis (with but possibly a small percentage of exceptions), and chronic sinusitis, are but symptoms that appear in syphilis. Tuberculosis has long been known to develop m...

ANTIBODY FORMATION AGAINST TREPONEMA PALLIDUM—AGGLUTINATION

It has been shown by our experiments that the serum of rabbits treated with emulsions of Treponema pallidum contains agglutinating substances. Normal rabbit serum also possesses agglutinating power for this organism, but, as in the case of normal bacterial agglutinins, to an extent very much inferior to that possessed by the sera of immunized animals. Normal human sera will agglutinate similar pallidum emulsions, as will the sera of certain syphilitic patients with positive Wassermann reactions. Whether or not there is a quantitative difference of diagnostic value between the sera of normal human beings and those of syphilitics remains to be seen. The sera of rabbits immunized with strain A agglutinate Noguchi's strain 9 in dilutions as high as 1 to 500. We regard as the most important result of these experiments the demonstration of definite antibodies in the circulation of animals treated with dead emulsions of Treponema pallidum. Since it is our belief that the agglutinating effect is due to an antibody essentially the same as that which produces bactericidal, precipitating, and opsonic effects, i. e., that there is probably one type of antibody only, we believe that the demonstration of agglutinins establishes the fact that in syphilis as in bacterial diseases the host responds by the formation of antibodies or sensitizers specific for the treponema. Spirocheticidal experiments with these sera, both in vitro and in vivo, are in progress.

THE COLLOIDAL GOLD AND OTHER TESTS APPLIED TO THE SPINAL FLUID IN PSYCHIATRY

I. In the cases diagnosed clinically as cerebrospinal syphilis the Wassermann reaction upon the spinal fluid was always positive and the colloidal gold test showed a reaction in the paretic zone. II. In paresis the colloidal gold test was always found positive in cases where the spinal fluid showed a similar reaction to the Wassermann test, in addition to which there is one instance noted in which the fluid Wassermann was negative, but a reaction in the luetic zone obtained by the gold solution. III. In dementia præcox, manic-depressive insanity, arteriosclerotic dementia and epilepsy there were no positive Wassermann reactions upon the fluid, and likewise no response to the gold solution in the typical "paretic zone". However, the latter reagent did furnish in eight cases of the 152 examined a reaction within the minor limits of the "luetic zone." IV. In the unclassffied psychoses the calloidal gold and the Wassermann reactions upon the fluid ran a parallel course, except in one case, which showed a negative response to the Wassermann test upon the fluid, but gave a gold reaction in the "paretic zone." This instance is clinically a possible case of paresis. V. From our work the opinion is drawn that the colloidal gold reaction forms a useful adjuvant to the Wassermann, is apparently as reliable and, in some instances, by reason of positive response in the absence of the Wassermann in clinically luetic cases, has seemed to point towards the possible appearance of a later positive Wassermann in the suspected individuals.

The Wassermann Reaction, and the Male Insane. (Essay for which was awarded the Bronze Medal of the Medico-Psychological Association, 1914.)

Prior to the discovery of the Wassermann reaction it was practically impossible to obtain a correct estimate of the incidence of syphilis amongst the insane, owing to the infrequency of physical signs in specific cases, and the difficulty of obtaining reliable histories. Experience has shown that in a large number of cases a positive Wassermann reaction with the serum may be the only evidence of syphilitic infection; more over, Dr. Mott (Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry, vol. vi) has shown that definite skin lesions are comparatively rare in general paralysis of the insane.

Specificity of the complement deviation test in experimental tuberculosis

At the meeting of this Society on February 18, I reported the results of my preliminary attempts to prove the specificity of complement deviation in tuberculosis with Besredka's tuberculin, in some cases giving positive Wassermann reaction at the same time.In this paper I would like to present the results of my experiment proving the possibility of independent existence of the two reactions in the same animal.I produced an experimental orchitis in a series of rabbits, and on March 3d selected amongst them the animals giving positive W.R. All the animals were tested for Tb.R. but it was invariably negative.When, however, infected with tuberculosis, part of these animals developed Tb.R. For a time both reactions were existing until W. R. disappeared in some animals spontaneously, in others, as shown on the table under the influence of salvarsan administered intravenously (0.04 gram per kilo), the Tb.R. persisting. The table on page 181 is the protocol of the experiment.