The Distribution of Antibodies in the Serum and Organs of Rabbits

Abstract

In a previous study (1) on the distribution of immune agglutinins in the serum and organs of rabbits the following conclusions were drawn: Agglutinins accumulate in the organs of rabbits that have been passively immunized.The rate of accumulation of agglutinins in the liver, spleen, kidney and lungs is greater than in the uterus and skin.If the animal is killed within from five to seventeen hours after the injection of the immune serum, all or a large part of the agglutinins can be removed from the uterus and skin; after seventeen hours the agglutinins become perfusion-fast in these organs. The demonstration of perfusion-fast antibodies in organs might seem to support the cellular (sessile receptor) theory of anaphylaxis, according to which the anaphylactic antibodies become fixed to the cells during the incubation period of passive anaphylaxis.