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Certain Characteristics of the Infectious Processes in Connection with the Influence Exerted on the Immunity Response

From the Von Ruck Research Laboratory for Tuberculosis, Asheville, North Carolina

Abstract

The observations described in this paper inform us concerning important properties of the lesions, with the help of which the production of the tuberculin type of sensitiveness is successful. Twenty-four hours after the injection of a large dose of the R1 strain into the testicle, the injection of eggwhite in the same place produces tuberculin type of sensitiveness. When intraparitoneal injections are used, forty-eight-hour intervals were necessary between the two injections. In the production of the sensitiveness the local reaction at the site of the tubercle bacillus injection played the preponderant rôle because only the injection of eggwhite in this place was effective. The intravenous injection of small doses is without effect. At the stage when we injected the eggwhite an acute inflammatory reaction is present, with large accumulation of leucocytes around the injected bacteria. The typical tissue reaction of tuberculosis is not yet developed. The latter is not a prerequisite of the development of the tuberculin type of sensitiveness.

It was possible to produce a tuberculin type of sensitiveness with the injection of eggwhite into the testicle of guinea pigs infected with smallpox vaccine.

With extensive acute inflammatory processes produced with infusorial earth, tapioca, turpentine, the immunity response of the animals was not influenced. The local reactions produced with the antigenic lipoid substances of the tubercle bacilli also remained without effect.

With the soluble substances of the tubercle bacillus we did not succeed in increasing the antigen response. Different considerations make it improbable that the substances of the bacterium are directly responsible for the influence exerted by the lesions on the immunity response.

We give also a review of unsuccessful experiments in which we tried to transfer passively the increased response toward the antigens with the products of tuberculous lesions.