Abstract
Production of agglutinin against Francisella tularensis was studied in terms of 2 mercaptoethanol (2-ME) sensitivity in patients with tularemia. A total of 98 sera were obtained on different days after infection from 68 patients whose date of infection was definite. The 2-ME-sensitive agglutinin was first detectable on the 11th day after infection, while the 2-ME-resistant antibody became apparent on the 19th day and the titer reached the same level as or higher than that of the 2-ME-sensitive antibody by the 4th week. Though the agglutinin titer decreased gradually thereafter, a relatively higher titer (1:40 to 1:80) was maintained for over 4 to 5 months.
