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  • Rapid salmonella diagnosis sera

    Group of three defined mixtures of Salmonella ‘H’ antisera for the identification of most of the commoner species, obviating the need for the smaller laboratory to hold many individual ‘H’ antisera.  

  • Ramon flocculation test

    Diphtheria antitoxin assay by flocculation. The antitoxin under test is serially diluted and mixed in tubes each containing ‘1 Lf’ of toxin, the dilution which first flocculates contains 1 Unit of antitoxin. (The 1 Lf of toxin is first determined by a reversal of the process testing with standard antitoxin of 1 Unit strength.)  

  • Quaternary ammonium compounds

    Surface-active disinfectants consisting of cationic detergents, used principally in the cleansing of food and dairy equipment. Action is bactericidal to some Gram-positive organisms, but tubercle bacilli, some staphylococci and many Gram-negative organisms are little affected.  

  • Pyocyanase

    An antibiotic substance elaborated by growing cultures, not therapeutically developed. An antibiotic substance produced by the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa and active principally against Gram-positive bacteria.  

  • Psychrotrophs

    Bacteria capable of growth at 0 – 5°C, but the optimal temperature of which is much higher.  

  • Pseudomonas putida

    Psychrotropic species (grows at 22° C, not at 37° C), connected with fish disease and spoilage.  

  • Pseudomonas pseudomallei

    Previously in 4 other successive genera, this motile non-pigmented organism is associated with rodent disease, and is a hazard to laboratory workers. Oxidase positive and gelatin liquefying, the organism is inhibited on deoxycholate and CTAB media which allow growth of other pseudomonads.  

  • Pseudomonadales

    Order of Gram-negative bacteria, usually motile rods with polar flagella, some however are coccoid. Many of the families are of no medical interest, but the order includes the Pseudomonodaceae and the Spirillaceae.  

  • Prozone

    Phenomenon occasionally observed in agglutination or other tests involving progressive dilutions of serum. Some or all of the lower (stronger) dilutions show a negative result, whereas the higher dilutions are positive. The illogically negative series of dilutions is the prozone. Portion of the low dilution range of a homologous serum that fails to agglutinate bacteria…

  • Providencia

    Group of two enterobacterial species (not as yet a genus) with some of the characteristics of Proteus species—particularly the ability to reduce phenylalanine-but not urease positive. Normally non-pathogenic. Motile, and one (‘A’) produces gas from glucose; ‘B’ is anaerogenic.  

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