The Local Formation of Antivaccinial Antibodies by the Skin

Abstract

Intradermal injections of aluminum hydroxide gel in rabbits cause the mobilization of macrophages which in turn are capable of phagocytosing the gel. Vaccinia virus is adsorbed to this gel but is not inactivated by it. Therefore, when small quantities of the virus are adsorbed to aluminum hydroxide gel and are then injected into tissues in which large numbers of macrophages are present, neutralizing antibodies are often demonstrable in extracts of this tissue before they are present in the undiluted blood serum or in other tissues. Inasmuch as this tissue consists predominantly of macrophages capable of ingesting aluminum hydroxide gel to which the virus has been adsorbed, the conclusion seems warranted that these neutralizing antibodies are produced by the macrophages in this area.