Studies on Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection

VI. Serological Diagnosis of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Infection

Abstract

The pathogenicity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (abbreviated as Ps) strains, when isolated from a sterile cavity or organ, can be easily decided. But it is not the case when the Ps strains are isolated concomitantly with other microganisms. In the latter cases it may be possible to estimate the pathogenicity of the isolated Ps stains by the titration of antibody to Ps in the serum of patients.
From this point of view, we tried the determination of antibody in the sera of normal adults, Ps carriers in the sputa and the patients with Ps strains of clear pathogenicity. We used the bacterial aggulutination test, the simplest serological technique. The living bacterial cells of the Ps strain DK 160, DK 161 and DK 163 were used as the antigen and the results were as follows:
1.0 agglutinin titer of the sera of normal adults was 1: 80 or less than 1: 80.
2) 0 agglutinin titer of the Ps carriers was also the same as that of normal adults.
3) When the serum of a patient shows the agglutinin titer of 1: 160 or more then 1: 160, it may serologically be suggested that the patient is suffering from Ps infection.