Summary
Various factors influencing the anaphylactic reactivity of mice have been studied. There is a direct relation between the amount of antigenantibody complex injected and the severity of the anaphylactic reaction. This complex must be present at a specific level within a limited period of time for death to occur. Mice surviving an initial reaction are desensitized to subsequent lethal reactions 10 min to 6 days later, the duration depending upon the challenging dose of complex. The Webster-Swiss (W-BRVS) strain is exquisitely sensitive to anaphylactic shock when compared to several other strains. Studies on desensitization with different types of anaphylaxis using different antigen-antibody systems for desensitization and challenge suggest that the depletion of a substance other than antibody or complement is responsible for the refractory state.
Footnotes
Supported by research grants from the national Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and of Mental Health, United States Public Health Service.
Presented in part at 1961 meeting of Society of American Bacteriologists; abstracted in Bacteriol. Proceedings, p.106.
