Immunoglobulins of the Germfree Guinea Pig

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Abstract
Summary: Determinations of the total serum γ-globulin by a number of immunochemical techniques confirms that the non-germfree guinea pig has up to 6 times more γ-globulin than the germfree guinea pig. A similar relationship exists between the serum 7 S γ2-globulins and 19 S γ-macroglobulins of germfree and non-germfree guinea pigs. However, the serum 7 S γ1-globulins do not conform to this pattern. One group of germfree guinea pigs has approximately one half the serum γ1-globulin of the non-germfree animals, but a second group of germfree guinea pigs has approximately twice as much γ1-globulin as the non-germfree animals. The published determinations of γ-globulin in the sera of the guinea pig and other species reared germfree have been reviewed. The differences between the serum γ-globulin concentrations of germfree and normal animals are better demonstrated by the use of quantitative techniques sensitive and accurate at low serum γ-globulin levels and specific for γ-globulin. Quantitative precipitation gave accurate results at both low and normal serum levels. Hemagglutination inhibition and simple gel diffusion gave accurate values at low serum γ-globulin levels, but gave higher values than quantitative precipitin and paper electrophoresis at normal levels. Results obtained by double-diffusion-in-agar were generally not in close agreement with those obtained by other methods. In general, electrophoretic methods were relatively inaccurate and nonspecific for quantitation of low levels, when compared to the quantitative immunochemical methods, but were accurate at normal levels.