Serum Sickness in Rabbits

Abstract

Abstract In a previous paper there have been described the manifestations of serum sickness in rabbits (1) which occur subsequent to a first and single injection of a large amount of horse serum. The reaction is characterized by the presence of a more or less confluent erythema which may be morbilliform or scarlatinal involving especially the lower third of the ears but often extending over the lower three-quarters of the ears. Frequently there is associated with this a more or less marked edema again especially evident in the lower third of the ears. Such reactions were noted in 69 per cent of 103 animals. The reactions of serum sickness as seen on the ears in rabbits differ distinctly from reactions noted in normal animals both as to character and location. It appears that these manifestations can be considered as essentially analogous to the phenomenon of serum sickness in man.