STUDIES ON THE NONSPECIFIC DEPRESSION OF THE IMMUNE RESPONSE

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Abstract
Injection of mice with normal calf serum, prior to, but not after immunization considerably suppressed the formation of hemolytic antibodies to chicken erythrocytes. Effective suppression of the immune response occurred when both serum and erythrocyte inoculum were injected by the same intraperitoneal route. Similar results were obtained using flagellar antigens of Salmonella typhi as antigen but no suppression was obtained using the somatic antigens of S. london. Treatment of mice with calf serum induced the appearance of highly phagocytic macrophages in the peritoneal cavity, which by ingestion and enzymic destruction of injected antigens, might be responsible for this type of immunosuppression. Similar conclusions were reached regarding the immunosuppressive properteis of phytohemagglutinin.