Main Entry: Kahn test

Pronunciation: \ˈkän-\

Function: noun

: a serum-precipitation reaction for the diagnosis of syphilis—called also Kahn, Kahn reaction

Kahn, Reuben Leon (1887–1979), American immunologist. Kahn's research on blood reactions led him to attempt an improvement of the Wassermann test for syphilis. He achieved success in 1923, publishing a description of his test (which yields quicker, more accurate results) in the same year. Later Kahn discovered that by adjusting the temperature, salt concentration, and serum dilution used in his test, the reaction could also indicate the presence of the agents of tuberculosis, malaria, or leprosy in the blood sample. He called this the universal serologic reaction and published an explanation of it in 1951.