The Origin of Fecal Antibody and Its Relationship to Immunization with Adjuvant

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Abstract
Summary and Conclusions: In guinea pigs immunized with egg albumin and adjuvant no complement-fixing antibody was detected in the feces although very appreciable amounts were found in the serum. Because of its poor antigenic properties, it was not possible to use crystalline egg albumin to determine whether the excretion of antibody was limited to those cases in which the antigen has a special association with the tissues of the intestine. However, by using adjuvant in the cholera system where fecal antibody had been observed (1, 2, 3), it was possible to demonstrate that the adjuvant was responsible for the essentially negative fecal titers and that it did not alter the ability of the antibody to diffuse through the intestinal wall. From these data it is concluded that (a) the adjuvant localizes the antigen so that insufficient amounts reach the sources of fecal antibody to produce a measurable response, (b) fecal and serum antibody do not have a common origin, and (c) fecal antibody is synthesized independently of serum antibody probably in local sites along the intestinal tract.