A Simple Method for absorbing Heterologous Antibodies from Precipitating Sera

Abstract

IT is known that in the sera of animals immunized with soluble antigens heterologous antibodies also appear, especially if more than one immunizing dose is applied. Proom¹ found that after three immunizing doses heterologous antibodies appeared in 55–58 per cent of the rabbits immunized. While it is easy to carry out the Castellani absorption with corpuscular antigens and to prepare monovalent antisera, it is very difficult to get monovalent antisera against soluble antigens. Several methods are recommended for removing undesirable antibodies from precipitating sera: absorption at optimal proportion, controlled by quantitative precipitation²; several methods attempt to adsorb the homologous antibody on an antigen previously made insoluble, followed by centrifugation to remove the homologous antibody which was later clearly dissociated; thus Haurowitz et al. ³ coupled the antigens to dyes, Campbell et al. ⁴ to powdered ‘Cellulose’ (Solka floc.), Isliker⁵ to ion-exchange resins.