Specific Antibody Titer and Survival after Total-Body X-Irradiation in Rabbits and Rats

Abstract

In view of the importance of infection in radiation lethality, the capacity of the immune mechanism to produce antibody before irradiation was contrasted with survival and survival time after total body exposure to LD50 - 80 doses of X-radiation. Avg. pre-irradiation anti-egg albumin titers in 9 rabbits which survived subsequent exposure to 850 r were not significantly different from titers in 23 nonsurvivors. In other expts. 37 rabbits and 35 rats were given multiple injns. of standard amts. of sheep erythrocytes. Avg. pre-irradiation serum hemolysin titers for rabbits or rats which survived mid-lethal irradiation were statistically similar to that of nonsurvivors. A study of the induction phase of hemolysin production in 41 rabbits showed that the early attainment (6 or 7 days after a single immunizing injn.) of peak titer could be correlated with nonsurvival. The absence of a striking correlation between pre-irradiation anti-body titer and X-ray sensitivity suggests that the capacity of the immune mechanism for antibody synthesis is not directly related to survival after mid-lethal irradiation in rabbits and rats.