SOME PROBLEMS ON PASSIVE TRANSFER OF TUBERCULIN SENSITIVITY

Abstract

Many experiments have been carried out on the cellular transfer of the tuberculin sensitivity. The results of the present authors' exprements may call additional attention to (1) the antigens for the sensitization of donors : living tubercle bacilli were more useful for the antigen than dead bacilli, (2) the interval after the sensitizing treatment : the sensitizing ability of donor cells decreases with the lapse of time between sensitization of the animals and the removal of the cells. (3) Skin reactivity of animals : in donors, the skin reactivity does not always go in parallel with their state of hypersensitivity. In recipients, the skin reaction appears sometimes differently to each other, even if they were given with the same material. (4) Contamination of antigens in transferred materials : some of the reactions considered due to the passively transferred sensitivity may be caused by the active sensitization of animals indisputably, and (5) the ability of cell fragments to produce the sensitinity : mitochondria and microsomes of sensitized cells as well as whole cells have the ability to produce skin reactions in recipients. Recently the role of lymphocytes has come into notice in their ability to transfer tumor immunity or homotransplantation immunity from immunized to normal animals as reported by Mitchison (1953) and Billingham (1954). Do lymphocytes take part in the cellular transfer of the tuberculin sensitivity as well as in these immunities, as they are quite similar to each other in the absence of antibodies in sera of sensitized animals? Fukase et al (1953) have already reported the possibility of cellular transfer of the tuberculin sensitivity by lymphocytes from lymph nodes or thoracic lymph of sensitized animals. We could confirm this result in the present experiments, but also recognized that the ability of the lymphocyte was not superior to the other cells, for instance, to splenic cells, peritoneal exudate cells or lung cells of sensitized animals. It may be unreasonable to restrict the ability of the cellular transfer of tuberulcin sensitivity to one type of cells.