Enhanced Passive Immunity to Streptococcus Infection in Rabbits

The experimental work herein reported tends to justify our hypothesis recently expressed, that the common failure of antibacterial serums to combat active infections when passively transferred to a normal animal, is due not so much to a lack of suitable or sufficient antibodies as to absence of cell preparation or mobilization in the recipient. In the case of experimental streptococcus empyema in the rabbit the course of the ordinarily fatal infection is in no wise affected by the transfer of the pleural fluid containing large numbers of mononuclear cells derived from an animal that is itself protected as a result of a non-specific irritation. The serum of a rabbit highly immunized against the streptococcus and containing antibodies for it, produces relatively slight effect in prevention or cure. In contrast to this the pleural exudate, either acute (polymorphonuclear) or subacute (mononuclear), produced in an actively immunized animal does protect passively to a considerable degree. In a similar fashion normal exudate cells of either type in combination with the relatively ineffective antiserum give a high degree of protection. It remains for further analysis to determine whether this form of passive immunity by antiserum enhanced by the addition of cells depends on the vital properties of the cells transferred or on their stimulation to cell mobilization in the recipient. And furthermore the extent to which this enhanced passive immunity may be effective in cure, and whether the cure is applicable to local or to both local and generalized infection remains to be seen.