THE TRANSFER IN HUMANS OF DELAYED SKIN SENSITIVITY TO STREPTOCOCCAL M SUBSTANCE AND TO TUBERCULIN WITH DISRUPTED LEUCOCYTES 12

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Abstract
In 32 consecutive instances it was possible in human subjects to transfer skin sensitivity of the delayed bacterial type to tuberculin and to partially purified preparations of the streptococcal M substance, with components of disrupted leukocytes obtained from sensitive donors and prepared by 2 different techniques of disruption. This was accomplished with streptococcal M substance as the test material using leukocytes prepared by: (a) Distilled water lysis, and (b) freezing and thawing; and accomplished with tuberculin as the test material using leukocytes prepared by: (a) Freezing and thawing, (b) freezing and thawing plus DNase, and (c) freezing and thawing plus RNase. With one exception, delayed sensitivity did not develop in 5 negative recipients when the disrupted leukocytes were obtained from donors without sensitivity to the test material. The induced delayed sensitivity to tuberculin and to streptococcal M substance in negative recipients following the injection of components of disrupted leukocytes is similar, in most respects, to that which was observed in humans following the injection of intact viable leukocytes. Treatment of disrupted leukocyte suspensions with the enzymes DNase or RNase did not diminish the capacity to transfer delayed sensitivity. It is suggested that the mechanism of the cellular transfer system may have analogies to other biological systems where self-replication of a foreign material is fostered by the cells of the host.