Erik Waaler

SOME ASPECTS OF THE OCCURRENCE OF IMMUNE GLOBULINS IN TISSUE LESIONS, BOUND ANTI-γ-GLOBULIN ACTIVITY IN LEPROSY AND TUBERCULOSIS

SUMMARY The purpose of this investigation was to see if it is usual for antibodies against γ-globulin to be formed in certain granulomatous inflammations. Frozen sections from selected biopsy material were incubated with sensitized sheep red cells (mixed agglutination). In biopsies from leprous and tuberculous lesions anti-γ-globulin activity was found in the affected tissue. In leprosy this activity disappeared when the inflammation regressed. Some cases were investigated for the presence of the reactant globulin, and this was also found to be bound to the tissue. In the majority of cases the anti-γ-globulins were of γM class. A few were of γG class, but on occasion there was activity of both classes. In leprosy both lepromatous granuloma and erythema nodosum leprosum gave positive reactions on mixed agglutination. Only one case of dimorphous leprosy gave a positive result, and histological investigation showed that this was in fact a lepromatous granuloma. A certain degree of correlation was found between the activity of the clinical, histological, and immunological findings in leprosy. The significance of this correlation is discussed and it is suggested that the presence of anti-γ-globulin activity may exert a regulating effect on the course of the inflammatory process.