Report II. Tuberculin hypersensitivity induced in normal animal skin by injection of heterologous cells mixed with antigen (Experimental Studies on the Local Passive Transfer of Tuberculin Hypersensitivity)

Abstract

The heterologous local passive transfer of tuberculin hypersensitivity was accomplished by injection of cell-antigen mixture obtained from sensitized rats, guinea pigs and rabbits. From these experiments, the following results were obtained : 1) Delayed type skin reactions were obtained by heterologous local passive transfer using peritoneal exudate cells from sensitized animals. But no reactions were obtained when the rat was used as the recipient. 2) Cells from homogenated visceral organs, especially splenic cells, also caused typical delayed skin reactions. 3) The lack of tuberculin skin reaction in the rat may be due to its low skin reactivity rather than to deficiency of antibody production. 4) Histopathological pictures at the skin site of injection always showed a dominance of polymorphonuclear leucocytes.