STUDIES ON TUBERCULIN FEVER. 3. MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN THE RELEASE OF ENDOGENOUS PYROGEN IN VITRO

In a search for the source of the circulating endogenous pyrogen (EP) that mediates tuberculin-induced fever, tuberculin was incubated in vitro with various tissues of rabbits sensitized by intravenous infection with BCG. Evidence was obtained that tuberculin specifically stimulates cells in the blood of sensitized rabbits to generate pyrogen in vitro, whereas both lymph node and spleen cells from the same donors were inactive. Since normal blood cells, incubated in plasma of sensitized donors, were similarly activated, it is postulated that circulating antibodies play a role in sensitizing cells (presumably granulocytes) to release pyrogen on contact with tuberculin) both in vitro and in vivo. Release of endogenous pyrogen in vitro may be a sensitive means of detecting immunologic reactions between antigen and specifically sensitized blood cells-in other allergic states accompanied by fever.

THE PRESENCE OF ENDOGENOUS PYROGEN IN NORMAL RABBIT TISSUES

Saline extracts of homogenized, uninfected, rabbit tissues produced febrile responses when injected intravenously into rabbits. Extracts of muscle, lung, and heart evoked fevers that were similar to those induced by leucocyte pyrogen; extracts of spleen, liver, and kidney caused more sustained fevers. The minimal pyrogenic dose appeared to be between 1.5 and 3 gm wet weight of tissue. Evidence is presented that neither Gram-negative bacterial endotoxin nor polymorphonuclear leucocytes (circulating or sequestered in the tissues) can be implicated as the source of pyrogen in tissue extracts. It seems likely, therefore, that a pyrogenic material of truly endogenous origin is widely distributed in tissues. Tissue pyrogen appears to be a large molecule which is relatively resistant to treatment with acid but not with alkali. Possible pathological roles for this endogenous agent (or agents) are briefly indicated.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF FEVER TO TUMOUR NECROSIS IN THE RAT

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HOG CHOLERA. II. RELIABILITY OF THE AGAR DOUBLE DIFFUSION PRECIPITATION TEST FOR THE DIFFERENTIATION OF H.C. VIRUS FROM OTHER INFECTIOUS AGENTS IN SWINE TISSUE

The specificity in the agar diffusion precipitation test of the reaction between the antigen of hog cholera virus diffusing from infected tissues and its homologous antibody was verified. Alternate freezing and thawing of infected tissues was found to give optimum release of the antigen from fresh tissue frozen for 18 hours. A study of the effect of the size and age of pigs upon the diffusion of the antigen from tissues showed that tissues from pigs of less than 250 lbs. gave good results provided the tissues were from animals showing gross clinical manifestations. Specimens from infected breeding sows and dead animals usually did not give a reaction.