The effect of pertussis adjuvant on antibody production: the need for thymus‐dependent lymphocytes

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Abstract
The response to human serum albumin in the BALB/c mouse immunoglobulin classes has been examined both with and without B. pertussis (BP) organisms as adjuvant. Without BP, IgG1 was found to be the only thymus‐dependent class. The presence of thymus‐dependent lymphocytes was necessary for BP to have its full adjuvant effect, although some activity was observed in neonatally thymectomized mice. In thymectomized mice IgG1 antibody was stimulated significantly by BP, but only to half the level seen in intact mice. Although IgG2a and IgG2b both rose in these mice after BP treatment, the difference was not significant. IgA and IgM were both unchanged. Thus, as well as being needed for increased stimulation of IgG1, the thymus was particularly required for BP to increase the response in the classes of immunoglobulin not usually found to be thymus‐dependent for soluble antigens.