IMMUNITY TO LOCAL SKIN REACTIVITY M^^ 



SPONTANEOUS AND ACQUIRED ACTIVE IMMUNITY AS DETERMINED 

 BY THE USE OF GRADED AMOUNTS OF ACTIVE PRINCIPLES 



Attempts to determine the specific ity of spontaneous and acti\e 

 accjuired immunity were made l)y me by the use ol graded 

 amounts ot active principles (Shwartzman, 1932^) . 



Spontaneous immunity : 



Protocol 14. Rabbits 8-30 and 8-01: May 26, 1931, these rabbits were 

 injected iiuratlernuilly ^vitli 0.2.-, t.c. of B. coll S "rough" Filtrate 1042 and 

 May 27 intravenously with 200 reacting units of the same filtrate. There 

 were no reactions obtained. May 28, 1931, the rabbits were prepared by 

 single intradermal injections of 0.25 c.c. of meningococcus 44 B Filtrate A-38 

 and twenty-four hours later injected intravenously Avith 200 reacting units 

 of this filtrate. There appeared severe reactions. 



Rabbits 8-67, 8-55 and 8-73: These rabbits were tested in a similar 

 manner with three filtrates, namely, B. coli S "rough" Filtrate 1042. meningo- 

 coccus 44 B Filtrate A-38 and B. typhosus "rough" Filtrate 1067 during six 

 consecutive days. The intravenous doses were 200 reacting units of each 

 filtrate, respectively. The intravenous injections elicited no reactions in Rab- 

 bit 8-67. Rabbits 8-73 and 8-55 showed no reactions to B. coli and meningo- 

 coccus, but de\eloped severe reactions following the intravenous injection 

 of B. typJwsus "rotigh" Filtrate 1067. 



These restilts demonstrate spontaneotis active immunity as con- 

 cerns the phenomenon. In cme instance, the immunity was of a 

 non-specific nature. In another instance, it appeared to be specific, 

 inasmtich as the rabbits tested at short intervals of time ^vith 

 various filtrates, proved stisceptible to one filtrate and resistant 

 to another one. The idea of possible existence of nattiral specific 

 immunity to the phenomenon was also brought out by ftirther 

 experiments in ^vhich rabbits prepared by siinultaneous injections 

 of B. typhosus, B. coli and meningococctis filtrates and injected 

 intravenously, shoAved in some instances reactions in all sites; 

 and in others, only in one or two sites. The latter rabbits showing 

 reactions only in some sites, apparently had specific cellular im- 

 munity of sufficient potency to prevent the occtirrence of the state 

 of reactivity to active principles of some bacteria but had humoral 

 immunity of insufficient potency to neutralize these active prin- 

 ciples in the blood stream. The non-neutralized reacting factors 

 were then capable of producing injury in areas prepared with 

 filtrates asainst whicii these rabfjits had no cellular immunity. 



