Effects of Hibernation on the Latent Period in Normal and X-Irradiated Ground Squirrels

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Abstract
Summary: Ground squirrels (Citellus tridecemlineatus) were injected with 10 mg of I131-labeled BSA and placed in a cold room at 5°C and 50% relative humidity. Only hibernators in which there was little or no detectable disappearance of circulating antigen were used. Upon arousal after 14 days, the posthibernation latent period of antibody formation was 5.7 days as compared to the 7.1-day latent period in nonhibernating controls. Upon arousal after 28 or 56 days, the latent period varied from 0 to 9 days. These findings indicate that all of the events of the latent period can occur during hibernation. Animals placed in the cold room 4 or 6 days after antigen injection had posthibernation latent periods that ranged from 0 to 8 days. These findings indicated that events of the latent period that took place before entry into hibernation might in some cases be lost during hibernation. Ground squirrels that hibernated for two weeks between antigen injection and x-irradiation (450 r) were rendered anergic, as were their irradiated, nonhibernating controls.

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