Effect of excising Freund's adjuvant granuloma on subsequent development of experimental allergic arthritis

Rabbits were immunized with antigen in Freund's complete adjuvant. Several weeks later the granuloma which developed was excised one day before joint challenge with antigen. The subsequent development of experimental allergic arthritis (EAA) was not affected, which argues against the chronicity of the disease being maintained by continuous recruitment of mycobacterial debris to EAA joints.

The base view in vertebral angiography. An aid in the diagnosis of extraaxial cerebellopontine angle tumors

Though the advent of computed tomography has improved the detection of posterior fossa lesions, there are times when it can not be used to differentiate between an intra- and extraaxial lesion, particularly when the mass is anteriorly located. Base view angiography can be used to make this distinction, accurately localize the lesion, and demonstrate involvement or compression of vital adjoining structures.

Is persisting antigen responsible for the chronicity of experimental allergic arthritis?

Animals were injected intra-articularly with antigen after prior immunization with that antigen in Freund's incomplete adjuvant in order to precipitate immune complexes in the surfaces of menisci, ligaments, and cartilage. On reimmunization with antigen in Freund's complete adjuvant 10 weeks later, generally an arthritis limited to the intercondylar fossa developed; but on intra-articular injection of antigen a second time a widespread arthritis developed in that joint. Thus immune deviation had not occurred and animals were in an immunological condition such as to be capable of developing widespread arthritis given the correct intra-articular stimulus. It is concluded that antigen, persisting as immune complexes, plays no part in maintaining widespread monarthritis, presumably owing to its inability to participate in a delayed hypersensitivity reaction as a result of sequestration.

The non-passage of mycobacteria from Freund's complete adjuvant granuloma depots to arthritic joints

The intra-articular injection of antigen after immunization with that antigen in FCA, the mycobacterial component of which consisted of live M. avium or dead 125I-M. tuberculosis, resulted in identical chronic disease, experimental allergic arthritis. In the former case live mycobacteria could be isolated from the subcutaneous granuloma which developed at the injection site, and from arthritic joints into which 10 mug wet weight (equivalent of 2 mug dry weight) had been injected with this antigen. However, no mycobacteria could be isolated from other inflamed or normal joints. With 125I-labelled mycobacteria radioactive counting and radioautography clearly showed M. tuberculosis present in the subcutaneous granuloma but not in either injected or uninjected joints. The quantity of mycobacteria which could have been detected if present was estimated to be less than 1 mug dry weight. These results strongly suggest that mycobacteria do not travel from the granuloma depot to the arthritic joint, and that any mechanism one may consider to explain the chronicity of EAA cannot involve the physical presence of mycobacteria in the knee joint.

Persistence of antigen in nonarthritic joints

The presence of antigen, IgG and C3 was shown by radioautography and immunofluorescence in the collagenous tissues of the joints of animals injected intra-articularly with antigen after having been previously immunized with that antigen in Freund's incomplete adjuvant. Since these joints were shown to be virtually free of inflammatory reactions, we suggest that the persistence of immune complexes activating complement cannot fully explain the chronicity of experimental allergic arthritis.