Serological Studies on Crawfish Especially on its Heterogenous Haemolysin

Abstract

It has already been known that the crawfish serum has no complement activity and produces antigoat haemolysin by the injection of goat erythrocytes. But Osawa and Inoue previously found a peculiar phenomenon that the serum of crawfish, when normal human or rabbit serum being injected, shows the lysis of goat red cells with the presence of complement. It follows that the existence of a certain heterogenous antibody against goat red cell in the antirabbit crawfish serum is expected.
Since haemolysin is found in crawfish serum one hour after the injection of rabbit or human serum and its titre is no more than 8 fold dilution of antiserum, the cause of the, the cause of the haemolysin is supposed whether it is newly produced in the creature or is carried over from the injected serum.
When the rabbit serum of low heterohaemolysin titre or the rabbit serum whose normal heterohaemolysin being absorbed with goat erythrocytes is used for injection, the crawfish serum shows no longer lysis of goat red cells.
In conclusion, we are led to consider that the antigoat haemolysin which appears in the serum of crawfish into which human or rabbit serum is injected may be caused from the normal heterohaemolysin contained in the injected human or rabbit serum.