Zeitschrift fur Immunitatsforschung, experimentelle und klinische Immunologie最新文献

Subtyping of hepatitis B antigen (HBs Ag) in patients with acute hepatitis B revealed subtype ay in 75 percent while subtype ad was much more common in chronic hepatitis B infections: 81 percent of HBs Ag positive blood donors and 76 percent of patients with HBs Ag positive chronic aggressive hepatitis revealed subtype ad. In contrast to blood donors and chronic hepatitis patients, a change of the prevalent subtype was noted in acute hepatitis patients between 1970 and 1974. Before May 1972, subtype ad was found in 67 percent of patients, whereas later subtype ay dominated in 93 percent. An unequal distribution of subtypes between acute and chronic forms of hepatitis B infections has been explained by differences in the virulence of virus strains. Our results suggest that the higher prevalence of subtype ad in longterm carriers may be due to infection during an earlier time when subtype ad was also common in acute infections. The change of the prevalent subtype in acute infections may be attributed to differences in contagiosity rather than differences in virulence of virus strains.

HL-A antigens have been determined in 110 not related Caucasian patients from southwest Germany suffering from hay fever and in 353 blood donors from the same area. Gene-frequencies and haplotype-frequencies of these 2 groups were compared, deviations within various specific allergy groups were investigated taking into consideration associated diseases. Patients suffering from hay fever showed a significant increase in frequency of W 19 and a significant decrease in HL-A8. Increase of W 19 was most evident in persons who became sick before the 16th year of age and in those who showed asthmatic symptoms in addition to those of hay fever. HL-A8 is significantly decreased only in persons who became sick after the 16th year of age. Found differences in haplotype-frequencies need further confirmation in larger studies. A relationship between changes of HL-A frequencies in hay fever due to special pollen allergies could not be determined.

A second clinical trial of the compound Ro 6-0787, which is a specific monovalent penicilloyl hapten inhibitor of allergic reactions to penicillin has been conducted by investigators from 9 different European groups in 90 patients allergic to penicillin. The effect of a combined Ro 6-0787-penicillin therapy was considered as clinically successful in the large majority of cases, since treatment with penicillin could be pursued or resumed without allergic manifestation in 42 from 46 cases (91 percent). The effect of Ro 6-0787 alone on acute allergic manifestations after interruption of penicillin therapy was more difficult to evaluate but was nevertheless considered satisfactory in 17 from 26 patients (65 percent). A depression of skin hypersensitivity to PPL and/or penicillin and penicillin derivatives sometimes persisting for weeks and months was obvious in numerous allergic patients submitted to combined Ro 6-0787-penicillin treatment. A depressing effect on antipenicillin antibody titers detected by passive hemaglutination was also manifest in some patients. Failure to suppress allergic manifestations was reported in 11 cases, among which some may have been due to insufficient dosage of inhibiting hapten. The overall tolerance of Ro 6-0787 in allergic patients has been very good. Nevertheless, the major obstacle to a wider general use of Ro 6-0787 at the present time appears to be the occurrence of positive skin reactions to that compound in approximately 5 percent of patients allergic to penicillin. It is not yet ascertained whether the occasional positive skin reactions and urticaria to Ro 6-0787 may have been due to aggregation, or incomplete dissolution of the compound or whether it reflects hypersensitivity to another antigenic determinant. With the reservation that patients with positive skin test to Ro 6-0787 have for the time being to be excluded from combined treatment, this monovalent hapten certainly offers a new possibility to resume and/or pursue penicillin therapy in patients demonstrably allergic to that drug.

Saline extracts from eggs and homogenized spermaplasma from 2 fresh water fishes and 2 sea-fishes were investigated using fibrin-agar-electrophoresis and the immunoelectrophoretic analysis. Many polyvalent proteinase-inhibitors with different inhibition spectra, lipoproteins and esterase active proteins which split beta-naphthylacetate as substrate were detected and designated according to a proposed nomenclature. Fresh water fishes contained more inhibitors than sea-fishes. The proteinase-inhibitor PI-Sg3 antigen-antibody complex was esterase active; the active complex designated PI-Sg4 could not yet be exactly coordinated in respect to another proteinase-inhibitor from Salmo gairdneri. The separation of pseudo- and euglobuline fractions permitted a significant concentration of proteinase-inhibitors and the elimination of large parts of strong antigenic proteins. A good antiserum could be prepared which showed 3-5 precipitation lines against proteinase-inhibitors from trout eggs. By means of cross reactions it could be demonstrated the nonspecificity of several proteins in respect to species, genus and sex. This concernes also some aspects of immunesera absorptions with heterologous protein mixtures. Cross reactions with proteinase-inhibitors couldn't be detected, suggesting that they are genus-specific. This is also confirmed by their variable number and inhibition-spectra in extracts of different origin.

It was demonstrated by autoradiography using 125I-labeled antigens that in the secondary response to bovine serum albumin (BSA), a considerable amount of antigen is localizing in the germinal centers (GC) of chicken spleen prior to the onset of antibody production. A similar early antigen capture, although of a lesser degree, was also noted when birds originally immunized with BSA were injected with human serum albumin (HSA) on a second occasion. Early antigen localization in GCs was scarcely demonstrable in the primary response. Since antigen capture requires specific antibodies, it was concluded that the antigen binding cells correspond with B lymphocytes of GCs formed during the primary immune response or with their descendants. On antigenic stimulus, these cells transform to antibody producing cells after one or more mitoses. GCs can therefore be regarded as memory units composed of cells committed to one and the same antigen. Cells of the thymus-system probably play a cooperative role in the antigen-induced formation of GCs.

In vivo activity upon draining popliteal lymphnodes of lymphokine-containing thymic cell culture supernatants from rats sensitized to PPD was studied after subcutaneous injection into footpads of normal recipients. Also inflammatory skin responses after intradermal injection of the same supernatants into the same untreated animals were studied. It appeared that only concentrated culture supernatants from antigen-stimulated thymic cell cultures were able to cause paracortical changes in draining lymphnodes after subcutaneous injection, and inflammatory skin reactions after intradermal injection in untreated animals in contrast to control supernatants. The results confirm the hypothesis that a population of cells must be present in the thymus of the sensitized rat which is able to produce lymphokines after contact with specific antigen.

A correlation was made between the severity of clinical symptoms of SLE and the results of the migration inhibitory factor (MIF) production test. For this purpose 10 patients with various manifestations of SLE were examined by MIF production test before and after the immunosuppressive therapy. A good correlation between the actual clinical stage and the results of the MIF production test was found. The successful immunosuppressive therapy turned the positive MIF production into the negative one in most of the observed patients. The MIF production test is therefore recommended as a good complementary test for the estimation of the actual state of the SLE.

HL-A antigens were determined in 18 unrelated patients with Gilbert's syndrome and 3 families where this condition occurred in 2 generations. The data obtained do not point out an association between HL-A antigens and Gilbert's syndrome.

Using a 51Cr cytotoxicity assay, the sensitivity of murine cytotoxic T cells to T cell mediated cytotoxicity has been tested. Two experimental approaches have been used. First, cytotoxic T-blast-lymphocytes (CTBL), enriched by the velocity sedimentation at 1 g were used both as cytotoxic effector cells and as 51Cr-labelled target cells. It was found that murine CTBL are capable to lyse directly and specifically allogeneic CTBL within 200 minutes. The second approach used was to incubate CTBL together with CTBL, the cytotoxic activity of which was directed against the transplantation antigens of the added allogeneic CTBL population. After 10 hours, the residual cytotoxic activity was tested. Again it was found that CTBL were capable of functionally inactivating allogeneic CTBL. Therefore the results obtained are incompatible with the concept that target cell lysis by cytotoxic T lymphocytes is mediated by a non specific "lymphotoxin", secreted by activated T cells after the antigen-recognition phase in the confined space between T cells and target cells.

The spleen of the rat contains 5 well delineated compartments: a central and peripheral part of the periarteriolar lymphatic sheath (PALS), the marginal zone and the follicle with centre and corona. A study was made on the development of these compartments in correlation with the onset of immunocompetence of the spleen. The spleens of animals in the age range from 1-40 days were studied with the light and electron microscopes. Immunocompetence was assessed by measuring serum antibody levels 5 days after intravenous antigen administration. Comparable doses of paratyphoid vaccin (PTV) and sheep red blood cells (SRBC) were used: PTV as a thymus-independent, SRBC as a thymus-dependent antigen. At the first day of life few lymphocytes are present around small arterioles. The marginal zone is first present at 9 days of age. At 14 days of age the typical thymus-dependent area develops. Interdigitating cells, which seem to develop from monocytes, and lymphocytes are present in close apposition. Primary follicles were first seen on 20 days of age, follicle centres at 25 or 30 days of age. The appearance of "typical" dendritic cells coincided with the appearance of follicle centres. The first titre against PTV was seen after antigen administration at 9 days after birth, against SRBC after injection in 14 days old animals. As PTV is a thymus-independent antigen it needs only B-cells for a primary IgM response. The appearance of functional B-cells in sufficient numbers to give a measurable response therefore coincides with the appearance of the marginal zone. Although T-cells are present from birth, the response against SRBC is delayed until the thymus-dependent area has developed. Thus, in the first 2 weeks of life, T-cells are either immature, or they are not able to react, because their microenvironment is not yet adequate.