W K Sherwin | PubMed Health

PubMed1979

An immunosuppressive serum factor in widespread cutaneous dermatophytosis.

A patient had a widespread dermatophytosis and a serum factor that specifically suppressed his T-cell rosette formation and the phytohemagglutinin responsiveness of his lymphocytes. The patient was also unable to mount a delayed hypersensitivity reaction to a standard anergy panel, although he did exhibit an immediate type hypersensitivity reaction to the trichophytin skin test antigen. Although many immunosuppressed patients succumb to severe bacterial and fungal infections, it is our contention that in certain cases the infectious process itself may generate a serum factor that is capable of inducing immunosuppression, thereby rendering the patient susceptible to further spread of the infection.

B-Lymphocytes↗

PubMed1975

Determinants of the hierarchy of humoral immune responsiveness during ontogeny.

A model system of ontogeny was utilized to investigate the development of humoral immunity in both AKR and BALB/c mice. Lethally irradiated adult mice were reconstituted with syngeneic fetal or neonatal liver. These mice were immunized at various times after reconstitution with a series of eight antigens: the bacteriophages F2, phiX-174, and T4; the hapten carrier complexes 2,4 dinitrophenyl-bovine serum albumin and fluorescein-bovine serum albumin; and the small proteins: hen egg lysozyme, sperm whale myoglobin, and bovine pancreatic ribonuclease. Subsequent antibody production to the antigens was assayed with either a direct or a modified bacteriophage neutralization technique. Individual mice responded to the various antigens in a sequential pattern which was basically the same for all mice within each strain. However, there was a marked difference between the two strains in the time at which they developed responsiveness to myoglobin. In order to begin to delineate the separate roles played by B and T cells in the generation of this hierarchical response pattern during ontogeny, the development of anti-DNP and anti-FTC activity was examined in carrier-primed mice. Results of this experiment indicated that functional B cell specificities for the two haptens arise at different times during ontogeny. Further studies are needed to determine whether the hierarchical pattern of immune responsiveness observed for the other antigens is a function of sequential appearance of B cell specificities, T cell specificities, or both.

Animals↗