Studies on treponemal immobilization test. I. Survival test of Treponema pallidum.

Following the isolation of cardiolipin antigen by M.C. Pangborn1,2 and clarification of its chemical structure, cardiolipin-cholesterol antigen has become very popular3 in this country. The seroreaction with cardiolipin is now the most superior serodiagnostic measure based on •greagin•h. There are reports4,5,6 stating that false positive reactions have decreased through the introduction of cardiolipin-antigen, but there are also some reports7 warning the overestimation of its reliability. Long period of observation is necessary before coming to any conclusion. As the result of the mass survey extensively made in the United States after the War, the problem of false positive reaction came up and attacks on its real cause have been undergoing. This problem is not the problem only in the United States. Eberson (1921)8, Tani (1936)9, and Turner (1939)10.11 studied and reported about spirocheticidal antibody in the serum of immunized animal. Nelson and Mayer et al12, 13, 14 demonstrated this antibody in vitro, which was named as Treponema Pallidum Immobilization Test (T.P.I. test). Further studies by Nelson et al, Magnuson, and later by Levaditi et al17 in France