Passive Sensitization with Maignon's Fraction of Anaphylactic Blood. ∗

Abstract

In a recent paper Maignon 1 reports the transmission of acquired hypersensitiveness in dogs by the injection of what we may tentatively call the proteose-peptone-amino-acid fraction of anaphylactic blood. We have attempted to confirm his findings. Maignon drew the blood of horse serum hypersensitive dogs directly into 4 volumes of 95% alcohol, dried and pulverized the resulting coagulum, extracted it with chloroform water, and reprecipitated with 95% alcohol. He obtained from each liter of anaphylactic blood about half a gram of a grayish white product. This product dissolved in physiological salt solution and injected into normal dogs rendered his dogs hypersensitive, the dogs giving apparently classical anaphylactic symptoms on subsequent intravenous injection with horse serum.

We have applied Maignon's technic to 9 canine anaphylactic bloods and to emulsions of 6 hypersensitive livers. Eleven of the products thus obtained were wholly inert, giving no suggestion of passive hypersensitiveness even when injected in massive doses. Two of our blood products, however, and 1 liver product gave slight passive hypersensitiveness, and 1 blood product gave the severest anaphylactic phenomenon thus far observed in dogs. A kymograph record with this product is reproduced in Fig. 1.

The symptomatology and autopsy findings with this product, however, were not those of typical anaphylaxis. The outstanaing symptoms were a sudden cessation of respiratory movements, accompanied by what was apparently an acute heart block. Death place in 4 minutes. The precipitous fall in arterial blood pressure, the characteristic feature of typical canine anaphylaxis, was wholly absent in this and in all of our other tests with Maignon's product On immediate autopsy the splanchnic area was found hyperemic The hyperemia, however, was of a bright arterial type, not the characteristic cyanotic engorgement of typical anaphylaxis.