Blood of Newborn Calves. 



33i 



156 (1903) 



The relation between the accumulation of globulins and the ap- 

 pearance of agglutinins in the blood of newborn calves. 



By MARION L. ORCUTT and PAUL E. HOWE. 



[From the Rockefeller Institute, Princeton, N. J.] 



A study has been made to determine the protein fractions of 

 colostrum and of serum which carry the agglutinins produced 

 against Bacillus abortus. Data have been obtained indicating 

 that the agglutinins from serum and colostrum are almost com- 

 pletely precipitated with the globulin fraction separating at 14.2 

 per cent, of sodium sulfate; complete precipitation occurs at 16.4 

 per cent, of sodium sulfate. That such a separation is not the 

 result of adsorption due to precipitation is shown in experiments 

 in which casein was removed from colostrum with acetic acid ; the 

 casein removed did not have agglutinins associated with it but 

 agglutinins did appear with the subsequent fractions. 



The coincident appearance of the globulin fractions and of the 

 agglutinins in the blood of newborn calves has been shown by 

 direct comparison of the appearance of the proteins and the agglu- 

 tinins. Where globulins precipitated by concentrations of sodium 

 sulfate less than 17.4 per cent, have not been absorbed agglutinins 

 have not been absorbed, on the other hand the absorption of globu- 

 lins has been demonstrated in cases where the agglutinins for B. 

 abortus were not present. A case in which agglutinins have been 

 presented to a newborn animal without the associated globulins, 

 if such is possible, has not been considered. 



The evidence presented is associated with the observations of 

 Little and Orcutt 1 and of Howe. 2 In the first case it was shown 

 that the blood of newborn calves before ingesting colostrum did 

 not contain agglutinins against B. abortus but that after the inges- 

 tion of agglutinin-containing colostrum the blood had a titer rela- 

 ted to the agglutinin content of the colostrum. The observation 

 of Howe demonstrated that the blood serum of a newborn calf 

 does not contain appreciable quantities of proteins precipitable 

 by concentrations of sodium sulfate equal to or less than 17.4 per 



1 Little, R. B„ and Orcutt, M. L., /. Exp. Med., 1922, xxxv, 161. 

 * Howe, Paul E., /. Biol. Chem., 1921, xlix, 115. 



