Abstract

A haemagglutination test using day-old chick erythrocytes was applied to the sera of 210 patients with hepato-biliary disease and to those of 31 with other diseases.

Thirty-six per cent of 58 patients with infective hepatitis gave positive results and this increased to 60% when sera taken during the first 14 days of symptoms were examined. Three of eight patients with infective mononucleosis gave positive titres. Results were consistently negative in 12 patients with acute obstructive jaundice and a raised titre excludes this condition. Positive results were seen in four of 14 patients with cirrhosis of the alcoholic, in 10 of 43 with non-alcoholic cirrhosis, in one of 11 with acute juvenile cirrhosis, in two of four with haemochromatosis, and in two of 18 with primary biliary cirrhosis. Five of 19 patients with rheumatoid arthritis gave raised titres.