POTENCY OF PURIFIED TUBERCULIN DETERMINED BY THE SHOCK METHOD ON HAMSTERSJESPERSEN, ANDR.
doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1976.tb03592.xpmid: 773097
Two lots of purified protein derivative of tuberculin with different potencies determined by skin tests on guinea pigs, were examined for their capacity to induce shock in hamsters sensitized with BCG. Groups of hamsters were injected with varying doses of a highly potent strain of BCG grown in Dubos fluid medium. 4–5 weeks later two groups of animals sensitized with corresponding doses were injected intraperitoneally with 1 mg of each lot of tuberculin. 12 of the 20 hamsters given the strong tuberculin died, while all those given the weak tuberculin survived. An attempt was made to evaluate the mutual potency of the two lots of tuberculin by injecting groups of sensitized animals with 1 mg strong or 4 mg weak tuberculin. The difference in the number of deaths from shock in the two groups was not significant.
THE EFFECT OF STEROIDS ON ADHESIVENESS, ROSETTE‐FORMING ABILITY AND SURVIVAL OF CULTURED, HUMAN MONONUCLEAR CELLSVIKEN, K. E.
doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1976.tb03593.xpmid: 1266625
The effect of different steroids on human mononuclear blood cells during the first 90 minutes of culture in vitro was tested. Cortisol and testosterone were found to increase the ability of lymphocytes to adhere on plastic surfaces. None of the other steroids tested exhibited this effect. Cortisol and corticosterone were found to reduce the number of surviving macrophages in the culture dishes, tested 4 to 8 days after the exposure to the drugs. No lysis of mononuclear cells could be detected following addition of cortisol in doses up to 10‐1 mg/ml. The findings support the previous statements that human lymphocytes are more cortisol‐resistant than those of mouse, rat and rabbit.
THE EFFECT OF STEROIDS ON DIFFERENTIATION AND FUNCTION OF CULTURED, MONONUCLEAR CELLSVIKEN, K. E.
doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1976.tb03594.xpmid: 1266622
When monocytes had differentiated to macrophages during 8 days of culture in vitro without being exposed to steroids, neither the engulfement nor the digestion step of phagocytosis was found to be influenced by cortisol or the other steroids tested. This indicates that cortisol has no direct effect on the phagocytic function of macrophages in doses below 10‐1 mg/ml. Continuous exposure to cortisol during the period of differentiation resulted in a dose dependent inhibition of the differentiation of monocytes to macrophages. Testosterone, desoxy‐corticosterone and tetrahydrocortisol in concentration of 10‐1 mg/ml, tested in the same way were found to be toxic to the cells. In lower concentrations, however, these steroids were found to have no effect on the cultured cells. The impaired differentiation of monocytes is suggested as an additional explanation of the reduced number of macrophages appearing at the site of inflammation during cortisol treatment.
THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN TARGET ORGAN CONCENTRATIONS OF LYMPHOCYTIC CHORIOMENINGITIS VIRUS AND CELL MEDIATED IMMUNITY IN BABY MICEMARKER, O.; ANDERSEN, G. THÖRNER; VOLKERT, M.
doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1976.tb03595.xpmid: 1266623
Circumstantial evidence has been presented which supports the view that the fatal LCM virus infection is due to an immunological conflict in the host animal. Hitherto, this outcome of the infection has only been observed in intracerebrally infected mice. In the present study, the intraperitoneal infection in young mice was investigated and the results revealed a new example of this immunological conflict. In mice infected a few days after birth, concentrations of the virus in the brain are high, while the CMI response is non‐measurable. If the infection is induced when the mice are 28 days old or more, there is little virus in the CNS, but a strong CMI response can be demonstrated. All the mice in these two age groups survive. If mice are infected when they are 17–19 days old, however, they raise a moderate CMI response nine days after infection and, at the same time, their brains contain virus in high titres. The mortality among mice infected at this age is 100 per cent, indicating that this combination is fatal. The lives of these animals can be saved by anti theta serum or if they are transplanted with syngeneic lymphoid cells sensitized to LCM virus. Our results strongly suggest an interplay between, on the one hand, the spread and the magnitude of the virus infection in the brain and, on the other, the cell mediated immune response. This interplay seems to be decisive for the clinical outcome of the LCM infection in mice.
FRAGMENTS OF IMMUNOGLOBULINS IN HUMAN FAECESHANEBERG, B.; ENDRESEN, C.
doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1976.tb03596.xpmid: 1266624
Fab‐fragments of IgG were easily demonstrated in extracts of faeces from healthy infants and children. Employing immunoelectrophoresis with antisera to whole human serum and to Fab‐fragments of IgG, a marked precipitation line, likely to represent such fragments, was evident in the cathodal or γ‐region. Usually no precipitate was formed with antisera specific for γ‐heavy chains or Fc‐fragments of IgG. Presumably IgG in the gut is partially destroyed before being excreted with faeces. Results of immunoelectrophoresis, gel filtration as well as polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, using antisera to a‐heavy chains, indicated the presence of fragments of IgA in some faecal extracts. Fragments of IgA could not be demonstrated in IgA‐deficient patients, and no fragments of either class, or only traces of Fab‐fragments of IgG, were found in agammaglobulinaemic patients. No antibody activity against rabbit erythrocytes was found in gel filtration fractions containing such fragments; any reaction was not observed either in the direct agglutination test or in a modified antiglobulin test.
ISOLATION OF Clq‐BINDING IMMUNE COMPLEXES BY AFFINITY CHROMATOGRAPHY AND DESORPTION WITH A DIAMINOALKYL COMPOUNDSVEHAG, S.‐E.; BURGER, D.
doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1976.tb03598.xpmid: 773099
The applicability of affinity chromatography to the isolation of Clq‐binding immune complexes (IC) in sera was explored. Purified human Clq was covalently coupled to agarose or adsorbed to IgG‐agarose resins. Sera containing preformed virus‐antibody complexes or rheumatoid arthritis (RA) sera were passed through the columns and Clq‐bound IC, eluted off with 1,4‐diaminobutan at mild basic conditions, were analysed by immunodiffusion, crossed immunoelectrophoresis, gel filtration and electron microscopy. Under conditions of antibody treatment which caused almost 100 per cent inhibition of virus plaque formation, about 30 per cent of formed 14C‐labelled equine arteritis virus‐antibody complexes was bound specifically to and desorbed from Clq‐IgG agarose columns. Studies with RA‐sera indicated the presence of both IgM‐IgG and intermediate size IgG, Clq‐binding, complexes in 3 out of 5 tested seropositive sera. In two sera only intermediate size IC were demonstrable. The results obtained in these two IC model systems suggested that the described methods could be useful for isolation of Clq‐binding IC in general.
EVALUATION OF THREE REVERSE PASSIVE HAEMAGGLUTINATION METHODS AND TWO RADIOIMMUNOASSAY TESTS TO BE USED FOR THE DETECTION OF HEPATITIS B SURFACE ANTIGENHANSSON, B. G.
doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1976.tb03599.xpmid: 1266626
Sensitivity and specificity of three reverse passive haemagglutination (RPHA) methods (Hepanosticon, Hepatest and Auscell) and of two solid‐phase radioimmunoassays (RIA) (Ausria‐125 and Ausria 11–125), all phase 3 tests for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), were compared with the sensitivity and specificity of an immunoelectroosmophoresis (IEOP) technique. By titration experiments the RPHA methods were shown to be 5–20 times more sensitive than the IEOP test, while RIA detected 5—10 times lower concentrations of antigen than the most sensitive RPHA test. In a study of sera drawn consecutively from patients with hepatitis B infections, the increased sensitivity of the test methods was according to the following order: IEOP, Hepanosticon, Hepatest, Ausria—125, Auscell, Ausria 11—125. There were significant differences between all the methods except for that between Ausria‐125 andAuscell. IEOP did not detect any false positives. If, however, RPHA tests were used, the incidence of nonspecific positive reactions would be in the range 0.5 per cent‐0.9 per cent. The advantages of the individual test methods are discussed.
SURFACE STRUCTURES INFLUENCING THE MIGRATION IN VIVO (ECOTAXIS) OF MURINE THYMOCYTES, T‐ AND B‐CELLSWIIG, JOHAN N.
doi: 10.1111/j.1699-0463.1976.tb03600.xpmid: 1083623
The effect of protease and neuraminidase treatment on the ecotaxis of radioactively labelled thymocytes, T‐ and B‐cells was studied by scintillation counting and autoradiography. Each enzyme had a similar effect on all cell types. Both protease and neuraminidase treatment strongly reduced the migration to the lymph nodes while the distribution to the spleen was more profoundly reduced by neuraminidase than by protease. In contrast, a similar and less pronounced effect of the enzymatic treatments on the circulation to the Peyers patches was found. The possible structure of the surface “receptors” involved is discussed in view of the known effects of these enzymes on the cell membranes.