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The value of the bitterling test for pregnancy
Correspondence
IN
The Value of the Bitterling Test for Pregnancy
A preliminary report rendered by Kanter, Bauer, and Klawans, substantial praise was given to a new test for }Jregnancy in whi'Ch a fish, the Japanese. bitter· ling, was utilized as the biologic te~t species. The test was presumably based on the reactivity of the ovipositor of this fisl1 to an excess, probably, of the t>strogenit hormone in the urine of pregnancy.* Normally, this ovipositor is rearlily seen ill thf' ff'male bitterling as a projection about 2 mm. long just anterior to the ventral fin. During the bre.eding season and ( aceording to the authors) in response to ap· proximately 40 to 120 mouse units of estrin in pregnancy urine, this ovipositor 1>nlarges to brtwel.'n 15 an
The standardization proresR ref according to tlw ''bitterling tPst,'' one moderately positiv<' aml only one negati\·e. The n
155
t~t WKS obtained in a fish tha.t. died within the ih~t twenty·t"olll' hours of the il'~t, and it is quite pngsible that tllis o•··<'\11'1'<'11 l"•forc· it had :1 <'h:w••c to react.
In normal, healthy human maieR, tlu• urin:uy,v iltre :tg·nin, :L positive pregnancy tr•st would only confuse tlw rlingnosis. Thus in summary wr. may Rtate that thirty·Hix tr·~tH ll'l"l'fl performed on thf'S\' Japanese bitterlings in an attempt to standardize this fish for nR<' in biolngie pregnancy tests. 1'w(•lve known positive urines yielded six strongly positive, four monerately positive, one questionable negatiw reaction. :'line c1efmitely negativn cases yielded seven strongly positive results anrl onl~· one nt•gatin•. TPn male urinrR yielded eight ~trongly posith·e. one qtwstinn:thle positiv" t<'~t for pr0gnanry. Tlw results in hydatidiform mo1l• \\'tT<' ~:nnfliding·. 'T'hrrdore '"'' lwliPYe this test !<1 be of no prar.tie:1l \[ihw in tlw •lf'tPrmination ,,f prt>g-nane,v. It is baso,J on an incorrect premise that the fi~lt will ,vit•l•l positi\·c rPsnlts onl,Y in t:h1\ p1·esence of 40 to 120 mouse units of e:itrin. \Vere thr's<· tigttn'~ r·utT<.'t'\ 7 till' tt•st as puhlislw~tation. :\s a mattPr pnl>lisheil tPdmie :cllld used the exact species of fish !IS advocate•l in the original article.
A test using a tropical tlslt is imprartieal, even .if tlie tr·~f itself is of valnr•. The fish are not easy to handle and lmve a hea\'y mortalit~, rate, making tluHll more. expensiYc in the long run than mi<'<'. A biologie pregnancy test basecl on small amounts of i11erl'a~e in urinary t'strin is of no value as the possihiliti<'R nf ennr in Hllird ennses with some rstri11 ine.rea;;e, sneh ItS rlysmt>norrh<:>n, :me grr>tt :mr! limit itll nsefu]n0ilN. In our own i'xperien'.'E' we have fonn•l the Aschheim-Zondek :mil the FriNhrmn tests u~eful and dependahh' •1iagnostit• ai£1s and not prohibitive from an e~onom ;,. point of view.
.T. KrJTz, F.A.C.B., 1\I.D. H. S. Doum~As, A.B., l\LD. PARKErt, A.B., M.A., M.D.
E.
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY MEDIOAT, SC!HOOJ.. DIVISION OF ENDO('RINOJ.OG\ WASHINGTON,
D. C.
IN
The Value of the Bitterling Test for Pregnancy
A preliminary report rendered by Kanter, Bauer, and Klawans, substantial praise was given to a new test for }Jregnancy in whi'Ch a fish, the Japanese. bitter· ling, was utilized as the biologic te~t species. The test was presumably based on the reactivity of the ovipositor of this fisl1 to an excess, probably, of the t>strogenit hormone in the urine of pregnancy.* Normally, this ovipositor is rearlily seen ill thf' ff'male bitterling as a projection about 2 mm. long just anterior to the ventral fin. During the bre.eding season and ( aceording to the authors) in response to ap· proximately 40 to 120 mouse units of estrin in pregnancy urine, this ovipositor 1>nlarges to brtwel.'n 15 an
The standardization proresR ref according to tlw ''bitterling tPst,'' one moderately positiv<' aml only one negati\·e. The n
155
t~t WKS obtained in a fish tha.t. died within the ih~t twenty·t"olll' hours of the il'~t, and it is quite pngsible that tllis o•··<'\11'1'<'11 l"•forc· it had :1 <'h:w••c to react.
In normal, healthy human maieR, tlu• urin:uy
A test using a tropical tlslt is imprartieal, even .if tlie tr·~f itself is of valnr•. The fish are not easy to handle and lmve a hea\'y mortalit~, rate, making tluHll more. expensiYc in the long run than mi<'<'. A biologie pregnancy test basecl on small amounts of i11erl'a~e in urinary t'strin is of no value as the possihiliti<'R nf ennr in Hllird ennses with some rstri11 ine.rea;;e, sneh ItS rlysmt>norrh<:>n, :me grr>tt :mr! limit itll nsefu]n0ilN. In our own i'xperien'.'E' we have fonn•l the Aschheim-Zondek :mil the FriNhrmn tests u~eful and dependahh' •1iagnostit• ai£1s and not prohibitive from an e~onom ;,. point of view.
.T. KrJTz, F.A.C.B., 1\I.D. H. S. Doum~As, A.B., l\LD. PARKErt, A.B., M.A., M.D.
E.
GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY MEDIOAT, SC!HOOJ.. DIVISION OF ENDO('RINOJ.OG\ WASHINGTON,
D. C.