A study of leukocytic antibodies in allergic patients

Abstract

1. 1. Delayed type skin sensitivity to tuberculin was transferred to tuberculin-negative human recipients by means of leukocytic extracts and disrupted leukocytes obtained from the peripheral blood of tuberculin-sensitive human donors. 2. 2. Attempts to transfer immediate type skin sensitivity to ragweed pollen, penicillin, and horse serum from human donors to human recipients, by means of leukocytic extracts or disrupted leukocytes, were unsuccessful. Negative results were also obtained with viable leukocytes from ragweed-sensitive patients. 3. 3. Leukocytic extracts and disrupted leukocytes obtained from patients sensitive to both tuberculin and ragweed, or to tuberculin and penicillin, are capable of transferring delayed type sensitivity to tuberculin but not immediate type sensitivity to ragweed pollen or penicillin. 4. 4. From these findings, we have concluded that leukocytes derived from the peripheral blood of specifically sensitive human donors (a) contain an unknown substance responsible for the transfer of tuberculin sensitivity and (b) do not contain skin-sensitizing antibody against ragweed pollen, penicillin, or horse serum which can be detected on passive transfer. 5. 5. Leukocytic extracts from patients sensitive to horse serum or to ragweed pollen did not contain precipitins or anaphylactic shock-producing antibodies against horse serum or ragweed pollen extract, respectively.