[Local Schwartzman phenomenon in axenic rabbits]. / Etude du phénomène de Schwartzman local chez le lapin axénique

Local Schwartzman phenomenon was produced by coli-endotoxin in all the germfree rabbits tested (11 in all) at the age of 102 to 135 days. Any kinds of natural antibodies were not detected in sera of the rabbits, which in fact were found to be agammaglobulinaemic in most cases, as revealed by immunoelectrophoresis. These facts suggested that the germfree rabbits utilized here had not been sensitized to bacterial endotoxins. From the results obtained here, it may be concluded that the existence of hypersensitivity to endotoxin is not necessary to the production of local Schwartzman phenomenon by bacterial endotoxin.

[Effect of therapy using the "receptor-destroying enzyme" of T and B cells on antibody production]. / Influence du traitement par le "receptor destroying enzyme" des cellules T et B sur la production des anticorps

Being interested in knowing if there is any relation between the sialic acid present on the surface of the immunocyte and the antibody formation by the latter, an attempt was made to treat immunocytes, T and B, by RDE before their inoculation into irradiated mice. C57Bl mice of more than 8 weeks of age were used throughout. Cells derived from thymus and those from bone marrow were used as T- and B-cells, respectively. On intravenous injection into irradiated mice of syngeneic T and B cells associated with SRBC, if the T cells were treated by RDE beforehand, the antibody production, as expressed in number of PFC/spleen, was remarkably suppressed when compared with that of mice inoculated with normal cells. It was not the case with the B cells. These facts would permit us to suppose that the sialic acid present on the surface of T cell has an intimate relation with the recognition of antigen by this cell, or else, with the mechanism of transmission of antigenic informations from T cell to B cell.