John S. Johnson

Effect of cyclophosphamide upon the immune response in Wegener's granulomatosis.

Abstract Nine patients with Wegeners granulomatosis were studied before and after treatment with cyclophosphamide alone. The study was undertaken to determine any immunologic abnormalities associated with the disease, to observe the effect of cyclophosphamide on the clinical course, as well as on the immune response in man, and to observe any correlation between clinical response and immunosuppression. Untreated patients had elevated mean serum IgA levels of 470 as compared with 200 mg per 100 ml in normal controls and elevated mean parotid-fluid secretory IgA levels of 4.7 as compared with 1.8 mg per 100 ml in normal controls. Seven of nine patients receiving cyclophosphamide had undetectable humoral and delayed hypersensitivity responses to a new antigenic stimulus, and five of the seven retained previously established delayed hypersensitivity. A favorable clinical response to cyclophosphamide and immunosuppression appeared to be correlated.

Serum Immunoglobulin Levels in Grey Collies

Summary Sera from a group of grey collies with cyclic bone marrow maturation arrest and sera from a group of adult collies who carry the autosomal recessive grey gene were quantitated for immunoglobulin levels. These levels were compared with a group of normal adult collies and a litter of age-matched normal collie pups. No cyclic variation in immunoglobulin levels were found in the grey collies. However, the appearance of significantly increased levels of serum immunoglobulins in the young grey collies, suggested that the impetus of repeated infections accelerated the development of serum immunoglobulins as a compensatory host defense mechanism. In the group of adult collie carriers of the grey gene no abnormal immunoglobulin pattern was found which might identify the heterozygote.

Studies on equine immunologlobulins—III Antigenic bacterial interrelationships among horse and dog γG globulins☆

Abstract 1. 1. Antisera prepared against equine IgG globulin, its Fab, Fc fragments and L chains were employed in immunodiffusion analysis to examine their cross reactivity with canine IgGa,b globulins and a canine IgGd paraprotein. 2. 2. Interspecies antigenic similarities were found and cross reactive groupings assigned to various parts of the canine γG-globulin molecule. 3. 3. Immunodiffusion and cross absorption studies with anti-equine IgG, showed canine IgGa,b and IgGd to share some antigenic determinants in common with equine IgG and IgB absent from equine IgG(T).