Competitive Elution of Pertussis Hemagglutinin

Summary The hemagglutinating factor of Hemophilus pertussis culture supernatants can apparently be eluted from human erythrocytes by suspending such erythrocytes in a distilled-water extract of frozen and thawed red cells. Following the removal of the H. pertussis factor from agglutinated cells, these cells can be re-agglutinated by addition of fresh H. pertussis culture supernatant. The factor cannot be eluted by incubation of agglutinated cells at various temperatures, or by suspending the cells in salt-free isotonic glucose solution.