title: Determination of the O-serovars of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by slide coagglutination.
abstract: Determination of the somatic (O-) antigens of Pseudomonas aeruginosa by conventional slide agglutination is frequently complicated by the barely discernible, slow reaction of native cells. For diagnostic purposes a more practical procedure, a coagglutination test, has been developed in which protein A bearing Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 12598) cells are added to the agglutination process occurring between specific anti-O serum and native Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Compared to the conventional method, slide O-coagglutination yields larger agglutinates in a shorter mean reaction time, i.e. one minute vs four minutes. Moreover, strains not reacting in the O-agglutination method or reacting only with polyvalent anti-O serum can be grouped by O-coagglutination, and cross reactions between reference strains of different O-groups do not occur. This method facilitates O-grouping of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in epidemiological investigations.
mesh_terms: D000372:Agglutination Tests; D000942:Antigens, Bacterial / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000276:immunology; D019081:O Antigens; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology; D012703:Serotyping / Q000379:methods; D013205:Staphylococcal Protein A / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000942:Antigens, Bacterial; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D007075:Immunoglobulin M; D019081:O Antigens; D013205:Staphylococcal Protein A