RELEASE OF ENDOTOXIN IN THE FORM OF CELL WALL BLEBS DURING IN VITRO GROWTH OF NEISSERIA MENINGITIDIS

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Abstract
In vitro studies were performed utilizing sera from a strain of guinea pigs with a total absence of hemolytically active C4. Previous studies in these animals have demonstrated normal complement-dependent inflammatory reactions, suggesting that they are able to bypass their deficiency of C4. In vitro studies with C4-deficient serum also indicate normal activation of late-acting C components. Thus, endotoxin was capable of fixing normal amounts of the late components of complement (C3-9) in these sera, but did not fix C1 and C2. Antigen-antibody complexes fixed both early and late components of complement, although components beyond C4 were fixed less efficiently than in normal sera. Therefore, both in vivo and in vitro evidence indicates that the C4-deficient guinea pigs possess an alternate pathway for activation of late-acting complement components.