M ODERN STUI)IES of influenza are depenident upon information obtained in the laboratory. Clinical impressions and epidemiological observationis may suggest influenza. Buit uintil virus isolation or antigenic experiec-ice lhas beeni dleionistr'atecd, aIn etiological diagnosis caninot be miiade since mlany otlher geints cani prodcuce aII influeniza-like syn-(iromoe (1).

1. In confirmation of Gaehtgens, syphilitic human sera give positive complement fixation with cultures of so called T. pallidum (Reiter strain). Syphilitic rabbit sera are equally reactive. Syphilitic human and rabbit sera agglutinate these cultures, often in high titre (Beck). 2. Normal rabbit sera react weakly with the culture to give both agglutination and complement fixation in low titre. Normal human sera, despite the fact that they contain agglutinins in low titre, fail to fix complement with the Reiter strain of cultured spirochetes. Confirming Gaehtgens, the latter reaction is therefore of practical utility for the serum diagnosis of syphilis. 3. When syphilitic serum is heated at 63°C., there is no demonstrable difference in the thermolability of the antibody to spirochetes, and of the reagin which determines the Wassermann and flocculation tests. 4. (a) The absorption of syphilitic serum by spirochetal suspensions removes all reactivity, not only for the spirochetes, but for tissue lipoids (alcoholic beef heart extract) as well; the sera become Wassermann- and flocculation-negative. (b) Absorption of syphilitic serum with tissue lipoids renders the Wassermann and flocculation tests negative, but does not demonstrably change the reactivity of the serum with spirochetes. (c) Rabbits immunized to beef heart lipoid develop spirochetal agglutinins and complement-fixing antibodies (Reiter strain) in high titre. 5. It is concluded that these cultured spirochetes contain antigenic material serologically related to a substance present in mammalian tissue, as well as other antigenic factors not present in such extracts, but equally reactive with syphilitic serum. 6. These findings support the thesis that the primary serologic change in syphilis is the development of antibodies to T. pallidum. The Wassermann and flocculation tests would be explained on the basis that the tissue extracts used as "antigen" in these tests contain one or more substances serologically related to antigenic components of T. pallidum. Similarly, the cultured Reiter strain of spirochete is apparently sufficiently close serologically to T. pallidum to be agglutinated by and to give complement fixation with the antibodies to T. pallidum present in syphilitic serum. 7. Since suspensions of cultured spirochetes contain antigenic factors which react specifically with syphilitic serum, some of which are not present in ordinary Wassermann and flocculation "antigens," they may prove even more valuable than those tissue extracts in the serodiagnosis of syphilis.

Council have requested the Public Health Service through the Communicable Disease Center to evaluate the proficiency of State public health laboratories in the performance of various diagnostic procedures. The value of this type of program in stimulating improvement of laboratory proficiency has long been demonstrated in the field of syphilis serology (1). In response to these requests, the Communicable Disease Center established a mechanism for evaluating the performance of public health laboratories in the detection and identification of Endamoeba histolytica and other intestinal parasites. The objective of the evaluation was to obtain information whereby the State and Territorial laboratories could compare, anonymously, their diagnostic efficiency. With this basic information, deficiencies might be recognized and self-improvement undertaken. In June 1949, each of the laboratories of State anid Territorial health departments were invited to participate in the evaluation. The following 38 State and 4 Territorial laboratories asked to be included in the program:

Report of the Coordinating Committee on Laboratory Methods IN THE 11th edition of "'Standard Methods for the Examination of Dairy Products,"* provision was made to begin recommending the use of certified milk plating media. The certification procedures were to be carried out by the Microbiological Media Commission under a plan which was to meet the approval of the American Public Health Association. In January, 1961, the APHA held a conference with the representatives of the microbiological media manufacturers and several organizations to discuss the problems arising from the proposed plan. This conference resulted in a request that the Coordinating Committee on Laboratory Methods give further consideration to the certification or standardization of media and make recommendations on the position which should be taken by the APHA. The Coordinating Committee on Laboratory Methods met in June, 1961, and made recommendations to the APHA. These recommendations served as the basis for the APHA's position which was published in July, 1961, containing the following: "(1) Some form of standardization or certification of milk plating medium is essential. " (2) The APHA should take the responsibility for providing this. "(3) The CCLM of the Committee on Evaluation and Standards should be asked to work out in detail the method for achieving standardization or certification." The Coordinating Committee on Laboratory Methods appointed an ad hoc committee on the standardization of milk plating media consisting of: William G.

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