INDUCTION OF TUBERCULIN HYPERSENSITIVITY IN GUINEA PIG EMBRYOS

It was investigated whether tuberculin hypersensitivity could be induced in guinea pig embryos. Two fetuses in each litter have been injected with heat-killed tubercle bacilli in liquid paraffin through the intact abdominal wall of the dams about 7 days prior to parturition. Forty injections in all were performed in 20 dams. Eight out of 49 youngs delivered by the dams, excluding 16 stillborns, gave rise to positive tuberculin reactions at birth. Positive reactors increased to 20 animals when all the live young were skin-tested about 2 weeks after birth. The hemagglutinating antibody was also detected according to the Middlebrook-Dubos's method in all sera taken from 15 animals which showed the positive skin reaction, although the titers varied widely. These findings indicate that guinea pig embryos about 7 days before birth already have the capacity to produce both cellular and humoral antibodies. © 1968, National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases Editorial Committee. All rights reserved.