Thymus Dependency of the Immune Response to Hemocyanin: An Evaluation of the Role of Macrophages in Thymectomized Mice

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Abstract
The role of the thymus in the immune response to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) was studied in the mouse. Adult mice were thymectomized, lethally irradiated and reconstituted with bone marrow cells. The immune response to KLH was greatly impaired by thymectomy. Only some thymectomized mice could respond to large doses of KLH but in low amounts. The thymectomized mice did not respond to KLH bound to live macrophages nor to KLH administered simultaneously with an adjuvant like beryllium. Macrophages from both thymectomized and control mice handled KLH similarly.