Colmer Reaction

The Kolmer reaction is a method for detecting microbial agglutination in a solution of pus or microbial suspension by adding a homogeneous suspension of heat-labile sheep erythrocytes. The reaction is caused by anaerobiosis of thermolabile bacteria, which are able to grow without oxygen under anaerobic cultivation conditions, and a change in the shape of their colonies compared to the forms formed in the presence of oxygen. Gentian violet staining produces an intense blue-violet pigment color upon normal incubation in the dark. Rabbit antigen is added to the bleached preparation, restoring the color to a pink tint. At the same time, an antibiotic (polymyxin, bacitracin, etc.), if present in the nutrient medium, prevents the growth of anaerobiotic microorganisms. If conditionally agglutinogenic, facultative ana