Correlation of Ultra-Violet Absorption to the Development of Immunity.

Abstract

It has been observed that the absorption spectrum for blood serum in the ultra-violet has a characteristic absorption band at 2800 Ä. Judd Lewis 1 was the first to observe variations from the normal in the absorption curve of various pathological sera. In a second publication Lewis 2 shows that the protein content of serum is the absorbing constituent and gives curves for the absorption of the 3 protein fractions, pseudoglobulin, euglobulin, and albumin. Stenström and Reinhard 3 showed that a synthesis of the amino acids in the proportion in which they occur in blood serum gave a similar absorption curve to that of serum. They attribute the band chiefly to the effect of the tyrosine and tryptophane content of the serum. Studies have already been made of the protein content of pathological sera and the relation of globulin to albumin. Wells, 4 and Hurwitz and Meyer 5 found a variation of the globulin albumin ratio during the course of artificially stimulated immunity. They found that a temporary decrease of albumin with an increase of globulin took place during the development of immunity. Other investigators noted similar changes. The investigation of Lewis, Stenström, and others would seem to indicate that the ultra-violet spectroscope has the possibility of becoming a good instrument for determining whether immunity has or has not been acquired against certain infectious diseases.

We propose a study of the absorption spectra of the blood serum in various contagious diseases common to childhood, covering the phases of normality, incubation period, height of the exanthem, period of convalescence and expected return to normal. By the correlation of data from a large number of cases, we hope to find some constant factor characteristic of immunity development.