Abstract
Summary
Rats sensitized and challenged intraperitoneally with pertussis vaccine developed severe ascites. However, pertussis vaccine that had been heated for 1 hour at 100°C neither sensitized rats for subsequent challenge nor elicited ascites in adequately sensitized rats. Unheated pertussis vaccine caused lesions in omentum, lymph nodes and spleen, and excessive gain in weight. These were not observed in animals injected with heated vaccine. Sensitization for production of ascites by pertussis vaccine was transferred passively to normal rats by intraperitoneal injection of lymph node cells but not serum obtained from sensitized rats. The results suggest that ascites elicited by pertussis vaccine resembles the delayed type of hypersensitivity and is not related to endotoxin.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.