Abstract
It has been shown by Schloss and Anderson, 1 and Anderson and Schloss 2 that marasmic infants frequently absorb antigenic protein from the intestinal tract in amounts sufficient to cause the appearance of specific precipitin in the blood. In many instances also, the blood has the power passively to sensitize guinea pigs to the specific protein. It seemed of interest therefore to determine whether the enteral absorption of antigenic protein leads also to cutaneous hypersensitiveness.
Tests were made using both the cutaneous and intracutaneous methods. In no case was the reaction by the cutaneous method positive. Accordingly, the data presented in this paper is based solely on the results of the intracutaneous tests.
Solutions of the proteins in physiological saline were made up at frequent intervals. Dilutions of 1:lo0 to 1:l000 were employed, the strength varying with the different proteins used. Chinosol was added as a preservative. One twentieth of a cubic centimeter of the test solution was injected intradermally over the back, chest, abdomen or forearms. Readings were made at frequent intervals for one hour. Control tests were done with the solvent alone.
A reaction was considered positive only if there was a very marked urticaria-like wheal with definite irregularity of the edges-the so-called pseudopodia. In many cases there was a marked erythema or a larger wheal than shown by the control, but it was deemed wiser to disregard such reactions, and to consider positive only unquestionable reactions.
All of the intracutaneous tests described in this paper were done upon the infants w-ho were tested by Anderson, Schloss and Myers for the presence of precipitin in the blood. As far as possible, both tests were done on the same day so that a comparison of results could be made.
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