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Anthrax Indirect Microhemagglutination Test

Bacterial Diseases Branch, Epidemiology Program, Center for Disease Control, Health Services and Mental Health Administration, Public Health Service, United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, Atlanta, Georgia 30333

Abstract

A new application of the indirect microhemagglutination (IMH) test has been developed for anthrax. The antigen was prepared by DEAE cellulose, Dowex 1-X1, and Sephadex G-50 column chromatography of a culture filtrate of the avirulent, non-proteolytic, non-encapsulated Vollum strain of Bacillus anthracis grown anaerobically in a chemically defined liquid medium. Tanned, sensitized sheep red blood cells (SRBC) were tested with complement-inactivated SRBC-absorbed serum samples from 72 anthrax patients, 91 persons who had been vaccinated against anthrax, and 103 controls. The IMH test detected antibodies in 93% of patients, 98% of vaccinees, and none of the controls. Run-to-run reproducibility was 76% within one twofold dilution, and 93% within two twofold dilutions. The IMH test proved more sensitive and less time-consuming than the currently used agar-gel precipitation inhibition (AGPI) test.