FETAL RESPONSE TO ANTIGENIC STIMULUS

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Abstract
The fetal lamb was found to reject orthotopic skin homo-grafts applied at any time after the 77th day of gestation. Prior to this, grafts remained in place without stimulating any detectable im-munologic response. Once the fetus achieves the ability to reject the graft, the process occurs with the same competence and rapidly as in the adult. Graft rejection in the fetal lamb is unaccompanied by the formation of plasma cells or by the production of typical immuno-globulins, thus supporting the suggestion that circulating antibodies do not play an obligatory role in the process.