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HOMOGRAFT REJECTION AND HYPERSENSITIVITY REACTIONS IN LAMBS THYMECTOMIZED IN UTERO
Author(s) -
Cole GJ,
Morris Bede
Publication year - 1971
Publication title -
australian journal of experimental biology and medical science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.999
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1440-1711
pISSN - 0004-945X
DOI - 10.1038/icb.1971.6
Subject(s) - thymectomy , delayed hypersensitivity , in utero , immunology , tuberculin , immune system , biology , hypersensitivity reaction , immunity , physiology , medicine , fetus , pathology , pregnancy , tuberculosis , myasthenia gravis , genetics
Summary Lambs thymectomized in utero prior to the 80th day of gestation have ben shown to be capable of rejecting grafts of allogeneic skin as vigorously us normal lambs, even when grafted as long as 21 months after thymectomy. Histologically, the cellular reactions involved were the same in thymectomized lambs as in control lambs. Since these lambs were thymectoimized at an age at which it has been shown by other workers that lambs are unable to reject allogeneic skin grafts, it was concluded that the thymus plays no essential part in the final development or maintenance of this particular immune reaction in sheep. Thymectomized lambs were also found to be fully capable of mounting an immediate type hypersensitivity response to ferritin, although the delayed type hypersensitivity response to tuberculin was severely reduced. Since it has been shown that foetal lambs are incapable of responding to BCG at any time before birth, it is possible that the thymus is a source, although not the sole source, of cells which take part in delayed type hypersensitivity responses.