THE UROPRECIPITATION TEST FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF TRICHINELLOSIS
BY WANDA ZAPART
Department of Parasitology, State Institute of Hygiene, Warsaw, Poland
Serological tests for trichinellosis being in use until now enable the specific diagnosis 2 weeks after the onset of the illness. The author made efforts to work out a specific test for early- diagnosis- purpose.
Tests were carried out using the urine of experimentally infested animals as well as of patients ill with trichinellosis. A modified uro-precipitation test after Fleck was aplied with urine diluted 1:2-1:16. The test was carried out in Durham - test tubes containing undiluted immune serum, showing a high titer. Over the surface of the serum were placed the dilutions urine and the results checked after 1 hour, as+++,++,+, +/-. The results were most distinct with undiluted materiał,
showing a decline along with the dilutions of the urine.
Animals inoculated with massive doses of infective materiał, showed a positive test 3 days after the infection. After the 3rd day no positive results were seen.
High titers appeared again between the 8-25th day after infection. Later on- only slight positive results were obtained.
In animals infected with small doses of materiał - the tests were positive beginn- ing with the 8th day after infection. Intermitting - positive and negative results were obtained in the same anima] day after day.
352 M1ĘDZYNARODOWA KONFERENCJA W SPRAWIE WŁOSNICY
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It was shown, that the pH of the urine exerted no influence on the results of the test. Positive results were obtained with urine of pH= 6,0 - as well as of pH= 10,0.
No differences in results observed in urine specimens showing positive or nega- tive Molish - reactions.
Urine showing a positive uro-precipitation test could be kept in +4° for 10 days only. After that period no positive results were obtained.
The investigations described above were carried out with 12 fornal rabbits and about 40 white rats. The animals were under observation and the tests carried out during a 30 day period, then the animals were sacrificed and tested trichinosco- pically. - The latter test was in all the animals under test positive. Occasionally - heavily infected animals died in a less than 30 day period.
Urine specimens of people involved in trichine!losis - outbreaks werc tested.
200/o positive reactions were observed, in sporadic cases - much less frequently.
Urine specimens of people - constituting control groups were tested and no positive results obtained. The specimens were taken from patients hospitalized for lues, tbc, virus-hepatitis, dysentery, brucellosis, typhoid and typhus-fever.
· Further investigations with the uroprecipitation test are in course.
