HISTOCHEMICAL STUDIES ON EXPERIMENTAL TYPHOID BY MEANS OF FLUORESCEIN-LABELED ANTIBODY

III. DEMONSTRATION OF GAMMA GLOBULIN OR ANTIBODY IN THE TYPHOID GRANULOMA

Abstract

Homologous γ-globulin has been successfully demonstrated in the typhoidgranuloma of mouse liver and spleen following injections of live organism or killed vaccine of a virulent strain of Salmonella enteritidis. It is established by the antigen inhibition test that γ-globulin in the typhoid granuloma is the specific antibody. The Kupffer cells lack γ-globulin or antibody. The observa-tions indicate that antibody may be not transferred from other antibody-synthesizing cells, but may be produced by these macrophages.In the spleen, another prominent locus of γ-globulin is observed in cells of the plasma cell series including Russell bodies. Smaller amount of γ-globulin are detected in the lymphocytes. Gamma globulin is found chiefly in the cytoplasm, but occasionally it was located in the nucleus of these cells including the typhoid granuloma cells.
In the Discussion, it is suggested that most of serum antibody may be produced by cells of the plasma cell series; and a part by macrophages of the typhoid granuloma and cells of the lymphocytic series. The present paper indicates that a special type of macrophages produces antibody in particular circumstances. The macrophage of the typhoid granuloma is an example. It does not mean all the cells of the macrophage system produce antibody. Macrophages of the typhoid granuloma are pyroninophilic. Antibody demonstrated in the granuloma macrophages might be a cell-borne one.
Serum antibody responses of both complete and incomplete antibodies are comparatively studied. No conclusive results are obtained concerning the problem whether two types of antibodies are produced by the same type of cells or by the different ones.
The present study presents one of the cellular basis of antibody formation against bacterial antigens, which has different aspects of the mechanism from the one against protein antigens.