THE IMMUNOPHYSIOLOGY OF SERUM SICKNESS. ALTERATIONS IN THE BLOOD VOLUME AND THIOCYANATE SPACE IN RELATION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF HUMORAL ANTIBODIES IN THE RABBIT 1

Abstract

Rabbits sensitized by intraven. injn. of pooled human plasma developed clinical edema with significant increases in wt. and in the fluid space available for dilution of thiocyanate ions. Significant decreases in the plasma volume, total blood volume and hematocrit were observed transiently during the most marked alteration of thiocyanate space. The changes were interpreted as indicating an increase in permeability of the vascular tree, probably in the capillary wall, so that crystalloids, colloids, and red blood cells are progressively lost from the circulation as the magnitude of the defect increases with increase in the clinical severity of the disease. Occasional discrepancies observed between the changes in thiocyanate space and in wt. suggest that cellular permeability is probably also increased to water and ions. The physiologic changes occurred at the time humoral antibodies (precipitins) appeared, suggesting that the alterations may have been due directly or indirectly to an antigen-antibody reaction.