EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 



647 



TABLE IV.— SHOWING THE BACT. ABORTUS ANTIBODY CONTENT OF HUMAN BLOOD 

 SERUM WHILE INDIVIDUALS ARE DRINKING A MILK WHICH DOES NOT CONTAIN 

 BACT. ABORTUS ANTIBODIES BUT TO WHICH A PURE CULTURE OF THIS ORGAN- 

 ISM AVAS ADDED. 



In Table III it is shown that in a high percentage of the cases there 

 was a noticable increase in the Bad. abortus antibody content of the 

 blood, when individuals were drinking a naturally infected milk which 

 was rich in antibodies. In the experiment, the results of which are 

 shown in Table IV, milk was selected that had a negative Bad. abortus 

 antibody content. A pint of this milk, to which 10 c.c. of a 48-hour 

 broth culture of Bad. abortus was added, was drunk daily by each per- 

 son in the test. In the table it will be noticed that there is no apprecia- 

 ble increase in the Bad. abortus antibody content when the individuals 

 are drinking the milk and culture. While this test couldn't be carried 

 out in as extensive a manner as desirable the results suggest that in 

 Table IV the reaction is due to a passive immunity previously acquired 

 and not to an active infection caused by the presence of Bad. abortus. 



