STUDIES IN SENSITIZATION TO SKIN

Abstract

A method for preparing rabbit-skin antigen for intramusc. injn. in rabbits and a method for preparing rabbit-skin autolysates for performing precipitin tests with rabbit serum are briefly described. The prepn. of staphylococcus toxin from a strain of staphylococci is also described[long dash]Group A[long dash]11 rabbits received intra-musc. injns. of rabbit-skin antigen and intracut. injns. of staphylococcus toxin in ascending doses; Group B[long dash]6 rabbits received intramusc. injns. of rabbit skin; Group C[long dash]6 rabbits received intracut. injns. of toxin; Group D[long dash]9 untreated normal control rabbits. All rabbits of Group A developed anti-rabbit-skin antibodies demonstrable by precipitin tests; in Group B, 2 animals showed questionable precipitin reactions against skin, and the remaining 4 were negative; Group C and Group D developed no antiskin precipitins. It was thus possible, by means of synergistic action of staphylococcus toxin and prepd. homologous skin antigen, to produce antiskin antibodies for the first time in exptl. animals. The relationship of these findings to previous studies in the production of other organ-specific antibodies is briefly discussed; and the possible role of anti-skin antibodies in the production of some common manifestations in human skin diseases is briefly summarized (chron-icity and "jumping" of eczema, urticaria, etc., Koebner''s Isomorphic Reaction, etc.).