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Updated: Jun 19, 2026
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Opsonophagocytic Killing Assay to Assess Immunological Responses Against Bacterial Pathogens
Published on: April 5, 2019
A FURTHER CONTRIBUTION TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE OPSONINS.
1The Laboratory of Dr. Charles E. Simon.
The Journal of Experimental Medicine
|October 30, 2009
Summary
Wright's method for determining opsonic content in blood is unreliable due to significant errors. Alternative methods are needed for accurate assessment of immune responses and phagocytosis.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Hematology
Background:
- Opsonic content of blood is crucial for phagocytosis.
- Wright's method is a common technique for its determination.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability of Wright's method for assessing opsonic content.
- To investigate the specificity and nature of opsonins in blood serum.
Main Methods:
- Determination of Wright's index (bacillary and percentage indices).
- Analysis of opsonic content in normal and "immune" sera.
- Investigation of phagocytosis-inhibitory substances in infected individuals.
Main Results:
- Wright's method is prone to significant errors and should be revised.
- Conclusions based on Wright's method are not uniformly reliable.
- Normal opsonins are not specific; immune opsonin specificity is probable but not definitively established.
- Opsonic immunity does not appear to exist as a sustained high level.
- Inhibitory substances affecting phagocytosis may be present in infected individuals.
Conclusions:
- Wright's method requires significant modification or abandonment.
- Opsonic content determination needs more reliable techniques.
- Understanding opsonin specificity and inhibitory factors is key to immune response research.
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