THE HUMORAL ASPECTS OF IMMUNITY TO SYPHILIS

Abstract

The mechanism of immunity from syphilis is not clearly understood. From the evidence it appears to be more cellular than humoral. Comprehensive summaries of studies of the immunity to syphilis have been published by Neisser,¹ Levaditi,² Bruck³ and Zinsser⁴ and more recently by Chesney⁵ and Harrison.⁶ A detailed review is not necessary here. A brief summary and a review of recent pertinent experimentations only are given. Attempts to produce active immunity to syphilis in man or in the lower animals by injecting filtrates of syphilitic tissue, killed and living syphilitic virus and cultures of Spirochaeta pallida have generally been unsuccessful. Attempts at passive immunization with the serum of immune persons or the serum of animals either infected with syphilis or treated with dead cultures of Spirochaeta pallida have also proved fruitless. Comparable to Neisser's studies of passive immunization against syphilis, Bruck⁷ gave syphilitic