ALLERGIC IRRITABILITY

Abstract

The allergic irritability of closely inbred guinea pigs as represented by their capacity to produce hemolytic antibodies for beef and sheep corpuscles, and agglutinins for Bacillus typhosus and Bacillus abortus (Bang) differs by families and therefore is at least partly dependent on inherited characteristics. These differences show an imperfect but suggestive correlation with the differences in resistance of the same families to inoculation tuberculosis as previously determined by Wright and Lewis. The differences in antibody production also show an imperfect correlation with the differences in response in the anaphylactic reaction complex as previously determined by Lewis and Loomis. These studies suggest very strongly that the allergic irritability is one of the several inheritable characters which form a partial basis for the natural resistance to tuberculosis. The antibody-producing capacity is only satisfactorily defined when minimal or moderate amounts of antigen are used and this in single treatments. The irregularities in experimental result when repeated treatments or very large single treatments are used suggest that antibody production in the second or "acquired capacity" phase may rest on a somewhat different fundamental basis than the latent or potential natural capacity. There is some very slight evidence that production in the second phase may also be influenced by inherited qualities.