Cross-reactive human blood group H-active polysaccharide from Helix pomatia. I. Detection with catfish anti-H and eel sera.

A galactogen from the albumin gland of precipitates with three different catfish () anti-H sera and with a sample of normal eel serum. The galactogen appears to lack fucose and fails to inhibit human group O erythrocyte agglutination by saline extracts of and , but it inhibits the agglutination of group O red cells by catfish antisera and eel serum. The possible nature of the galactogen determinant involved in the reaction with the catfish and eel anti-H sera is discussed.