PATHOLOGY OF THE IMMUNE RESPONSE 



(ii) In five instances it has been possible to prepare auto- 

 logous antigens firom patients whose sera showed a high 

 titre against standard antigens. In each case the liver 

 antigen gave no reaction with the corresponding 

 serum although other positive sera gave the usual high 

 titres (Table 5). 



Table 5. To show individuality of reaction to AICF test 



Liver antigens from 



Serum BEL MAG JAM Other 



BEL (D.L.E.) o — — 512 



Af^G (Lupoid hepatitis) 4000+ o 2000 4000 + , 2000, 2000 



JAM (Macroglobulinaemia) 8000 + 8000 o 1 6,000 



AICF titres are shown. 



A number of other interesting features of the reaction may- 

 be mentioned, 

 (iii) There is no species specificity, rat tissues providing 



antigens of almost equivalent reactivity. 

 (iv) Immunization of rabbits with human tissue extracts 



gives a serum reacting in generally similar fashion to 



a positive human serum. 

 (v) Intensive immunization of rats with extracts of their 



own livers plus adjuvants gave no trace of AICF anti- 

 body (Dineen, unpublished). 

 (vi) There is considerable variation in titre from one sample 



of serum to another and a general tendency for the 



titre to fall under cortisone therapy. 

 (vii) There is no correlation between the presence or level 



of antibody (AICF) and the clinical manifestations 



of the disease state. 

 We have given reasons for accepting Hashimoto's disease 

 as the result of an auto-immune reaction in the strict sense 

 and have strongly supported Dacie's view that the acquired 

 haemolytic anaemias are manifestations of somatic mutation 

 or equivalent change in the antibody-producing cells. It 



138 



