Antibody responses of goldfish to bovine serum albumin. Primary and secondary responses.

  • 1 October 1970
    • journal article
    • Vol. 19  (4) , 621-7
Abstract
Serum antibody responses of a teleost fish (Carassius auratus) to a soluble immunogen (bovine serum albumin) were investigated as a function of time and environmental temperature. Temperature variable experiments were used to accentuate time differences between major events of the immune responses. Three groups of adult goldfish were maintained and tested separately at 20°, 25° or 30°. Sensitive monitoring of the anti-BSA responses was achieved by passive haemagglutination test. Comparisons among successive stages of antibody production at the three disparate temperatures indicated their temperature sensitivity: all major events occurred more rapidly at higher temperatures. The exponential rise period appeared to be the most temperature dependent. All phases of the secondary immune response occurred at increased rates at all temperatures. Observations of two distinct anti-BSA populations of whole antiserums indicated that they were induced sequentially by BSA during the primary response. The time difference between their respective inductions was shortened with increasing temperature. Both populations arose at the same time following secondary stimulation. Differences in the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the anti-BSA response are taken as evidence for immunologic memory.