Tuberculin Sensitivity: The Effect of Antilymphocyte and Antimacrophage Serum on Cutaneous, Systemic and In Vitro Reactions

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

Abstract Antilymphocyte serum (ALS) and antimacrophage serum (AMS) were employed in the tuberculin system in an attempt to define the role of lymphocytes and macrophages in the efferent limb of the delayed sensitivity response. Administration of ALS prior to or simultaneous with tuberculin challenge of BCG-sensitized guinea pigs suppressed both cutaneous and systemic reactivity. With few exceptions skin reactions were not completely suppressed nor were signs of systemic shock or lethality prevented in all cases. However, tuberculin skin reactions in all ALS-treated animals were markedly suppressed, as evidenced by a grossly apparent reduction in erythema and induration and by a lessened degree of cellular infiltration. Likewise, systemic tuberculin reactions were less frequent and occurred later in ALS-treated than in NRS-treated control animals. Antimacrophage sera were much less effective than ALS in suppressing cutaneous tuberculin reactions. Whereas cutaneous reactions were only moderately suppressed in the AMS-treated group, systemic reactions were equal to or more severe in AMS-treated animals than they were in NRS-treated controls. It is unlikely that the difference between the suppressive effects of ALS and AMS was due to lack of specific cytotoxic activity of the AMS, since in vitro tests showed that the cytotoxic titer of the AMS for macrophages was greater than that of ALS for lymphocytes. That AMS was active in vivo was indicated by the finding that fewer alveolar macrophages were recovered from AMS-treated than from ALS- or NRS-treated guinea pigs. Attempts should be made to produce stronger and more specific AMS for further studies. The capacity of ALS to modify systemic tuberculin shock has not been reported previously, but is consistent with the observation that sensitivity to systemic tuberculin shock can be transferred passively in the guinea pig with lymphoid cells but not with serum.