Abstract
DURING the course of investigations designed primarily for the characterization of mammalian tissue antibodies, experimental allergic encephalomyelitis was produced in guinea pigs by subcutaneous inoculation with an emulsion of rabbit brain in complete Freund's adjuvant. The principles of laboratory animal care as promulgated by the National Society for Medical Research were observed. In a representative experiment, encephalomyelitis was clinically manifested by paralysis in 6 of 8 animals. Circulating hæmolytic complement (C′)1 levels, however, were unaltered after the injection of brain and during the course of illness, even though the paralysis usually terminated in death. The failure to detect changes of C′-levels in this condition lends support to Waksman's generalization that changes in C′ have not proved to be very useful as indices for characterizing the pathological mechanisms of certain human diseases2. In allergic encephalomyelitis, however, the blood-brain barrier may interpose a particularly severe restriction as far as changes in (C-levels may be concerned.
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References
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TARRANT, C., FIFE, E. & MUSCHEL, L. Complement Levels in Experimental Allergic Encephalomyelitis. Nature 202, 819 (1964). https://doi.org/10.1038/202819a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/202819a0
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