Selective and specific inhibition of 24 hour skin reactions in the guinea-pig. 3. Depression of cytophilic and haemolytic antibodies by pretreatment with antigen and the effect of irradiation.

Abstract

Dvorak and Flax (1966) and others reported that adult guinea-pigs pretreated with soluble antigens showed depressed immune responses following immunization with the same antigens in Freund's complete adjuvant. These depressed immune responses included haemolytic and cytophilic antibody and delayed hypersensitivity as well as antibody measured by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis and haemagglutination. This communication describes further studies on the effect of pretreatment with alum precipitated bovine γ-globulin rather than soluble antigen. Guinea-pigs given 1 mg of alum precipitated bovine γ-globulin prior to immunization with 50 μg bovine γ-globulin (BGG) in Freund's complete adjuvant show depressed haemolytic and cytophilic antibody and delayed hypersensitivity. This depression is immunologically specific as pretreatment with alum precipitated egg albumin does not depress immune responses to bovine γ-globulin. In contrast, antibody measured by passive cutaneous anaphylaxis and haemagglutination is either unaffected or raised.