Wassermann test
The Wassermann test is a
complement-fixation (Complement system )antibody test forsyphilis , named after the bacteriologistAugust von Wassermann .Method
A sample of
blood orcerebrospinal fluid is taken and introduced to the antigen -cardiolipin extracted from bovine muscle or heart. Syphilis-specific antibodies (reagines) react with thelipid - the Wassermann reaction of antiphospholipid antibodies (APAs). The intensity of the reaction (1, 2, 3, or 4) indicates the severity of the condition.Uncertainty
The reaction is not actually specific to syphilis and will produce a positive reaction to other diseases, including
malaria ,tuberculosis , and numerous other diseases. It is possible for an infected individual to produce no reaction and for a successfully treated individual to continue to produce a reaction (called Wassermann fast or fixed).Development and refinement
The antibody test was developed by Wassermann, Julius Citron, and
Albert Neisser at theRobert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases in 1906. [WhoNamedIt|doctor|2511] [A Wassermann, A. Neisser and C. Bruck. Eine serodiagnostische Reaktion bei Syphilis. Deutsche medicinische Wochenschrift, Berlin, 1906, 32: 745-746. Announcing the test for syphilis.] The test was a growth from the work of Bordet and Gengou on complementing-fixation reaction, published in 1901, and the positive reaction is sometimes called the Bordet-Gengou-Wassermann reaction or Bordet-Wassermann reaction.The Wassermann test has been refined -
Kahn test ,Kolmer test - and it is rarely used today. Replacement tests (VDRL test, RPR test), initially based onflocculation techniques (Hinton), have been shown to produce far fewer false positive results. Indeed the "biologic false positives" of modern tests usually indicate a serious alternate condition, often an autoimmune disease.Citron, Dr. Julius, Immunity (English translation) 1914 163-164
External links
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Look at other dictionaries:
Wassermann test — n a test for the detection of syphilitic infection using the Wassermann reaction called also Wassermann * * * the original (1906) nontreponemal antigen test for syphilis; see serologic t. for syphilis … Medical dictionary
Wassermann test — or Wassermann reaction n. [after WASSERMANN August von, who devised it] a complement fixation test for the diagnosis of syphilis by determining the presence of syphilitic antibodies in the blood serum … English World dictionary
Wassermann Test — August von Wassermann (1866 1925), born in Romberg, Bavaria, received his medical degree and then joined the research community of the Robert Koch Institute of Infectious Diseases in Berlin. In 1913, he joined the staff of Kaiser Wilhelm… … Dictionary of eponyms
Wassermann test — noun Date: 1909 a test for the detection of syphilis using the Wassermann reaction called also Wassermann … New Collegiate Dictionary
Wassermann test — a diagnostic test for syphilis using the fixation of a complement by the serum of a syphilitic individual. Also called Wassermann reaction. [1910 15; named after A. von WASSERMANN] * * * … Universalium
Wassermann test — Was′sermann test n. med a diagnostic test for syphilis using the fixation of a complement by the serum of a syphilitic individual. Also called Was′sermann reac tion • Etymology: 1910–15; after A. von Wassermann … From formal English to slang
Wassermann test — Blood test for syphilis, named after German bacteriologist August von Wassermann (1866–1925) … Bryson’s dictionary for writers and editors
Wassermann test — n. a test for syphilis using the reaction of the patient s blood serum. Etymology: A. von Wassermann, Ger. pathologist d. 1925 … Useful english dictionary
Wassermann test (reaction) — Was·ser·mann test (reaction) (vahsґer mahn) [August Paul von Wassermann, German bacteriologist, 1866–1925] see under test … Medical dictionary
Wassermann — is a German surname meaning waterman and may refer to:* August von Wassermann, a German bacteriologist * Ehren Wassermann, a Major League Baseball pitcher * Jakob Wassermann, a Jewish German writer and novelist * Zbigniew Wassermann, Polish… … Wikipedia
