The platelet aggregation test in group B arbovirus infections.

A new serological method, the platelet aggregation (PA) test, was used to study Group B arbovirus infections, which are often associated with thrombocytopenia. The method is based on the interaction of antigen-antibody complexes with platelets. The PA test was nearly as good as the haemagglutination-inhibition (HI) test for epidemiological studies of tick-borne encephalitis (16 out of 18 HI positive sera) and was superior to the complement-fixation test which was positive in 10 out of 18 HI positive sera. The PA test could be used in the serological diagnosis of Group B arbovirus infection. The titres with the PA test were of the same magnitude as the HI titres, and about ten times higher than the CF titres. Two pairs of dengue haemorrhagic fever sera showed high initial PA titres. The role of immune complexes in the pathogenesis of haemorrhagic fevers is discussed.