Main Entry: Weil–Fe·lix reaction

Pronunciation: \ˈvī(ə)l-ˈfā-liks-\

Function: noun

: an agglutination test for various rickettsial infections (as typhus and Rocky Mountain spotted fever) using particular strains of bacteria of the genus Proteus that have antigens in common with the rickettsiae to be identified

Weil, Edmund (1880–1922), and Felix, Arthur (1887–1956), Austrian bacteriologists. During World War I Felix served as a bacteriologist charged with the diagnosing of typhus in the Austrian army. As a result of his work he and Weil developed an agglutination test for typhus in 1916.