41] Experimental serum sickness

Abstract

Experimental serum sickness, resulting from an immune response against foreign serum proteins, is the classic example of tissue injury induced by immune complexes and is the model from which most has been learned about the potential of immune complexes to damage the kidney and other organs. Although the antigens used to elicit experimental serum sickness in laboratory animals are heterologous proteins, the present appreciation of the contribution of immune complexes to the pathogenesis of certain auto-immune diseases, particularly systemic lupus erythematosus, depends on insights gained from the study of serum sickness. Severe chronic serum sickness has been elicited in several mouse strains using immunization protocols similar to the one used for rats in that they depend on stimulating antibody production by preimmunization with antigen and adjuvant. The passive administration of immune complexes, formed in vitro under well-defined conditions, has also been used to identify the determinants of immune complex pathogenicity.