CHANGES IN THE BLOOD LEUCOCYTE LEVEL OF ADRENALECTOMIZED AND NORMAL RATS FOLLOWING ADMINISTRATION OF TYPHOID VACCINE

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Abstract
Adrenalectomized rats treated for 2 days with either adrenal extract or compound A acetate showed no significant change in blood lymphocytes or leucocytes 2 hrs. after injn. of these hormones. Nor did saline-maintained rats show changes after saline injn. Intraperit. injn. of typhoid vaccine markedly lowered the lymphocytes 2 hrs. after injn., whether or not the rats had been previously treated with adrenal extract, compound A acetate or saline. In contrast, the polymorphonuclear neutrophiles increased. This increase was significantly greater in the hormone-treated animals. Normalrats and human beings injd. with typhoid vaccine showed a decrease in lymphocytes and increase in polymorphonuclear neutrophiles, similar to that observed in adrenalectomized-adrenal hormone-treated rats following injn. of typhoid vaccine. It is concluded that the lymphopenia elicited by typhoid vaccine is not dependent on adrenal cortical hormones, but the concurrent polymorphonuclear leucocytosis is augmented by their presence.