Immunity in Diabetes. Ii. Relative Importance of Nutritional State and of Blood Sugar Level in Influencing Development of the Agglutinin after Typhoid Vaccine.

In a previous study it was shown that diabetic patients form antibodies in smaller amounts than non-diabetic controls (1). In the work demonstrating this, typhoid vaccine was used as the antigen and the agglutinin response was measured by Dreyer's macroscopic method. It was further shown that those patients who were in a poor clinical condition formed antibody in less amount than those whose condition was satisfactory. The diabetic in poor condition presents a picture of hyperglycemia with undernourishment and loss of weight. WVith this there is an alteration in the amount and distribution of the body glycogen. It seemed, therefore, that a study of antibody formation in animals which, while not diabetic, were on the one hand undernourished, or on the other hand hyperglycemic, might aid in determining the significance of these factors in the decreased antibody formation of the diabetic.