The Absence of Antibody in the Macrophages during Maximum Antibody Formation

Following the injection of dysentery antigen in saline or in saline-in-paraffin-oil emulsion into the pad of the rabbit's hind foot, considerable quantities of antibody were recovered from the popliteal lymph node, while the tissue at the site of injection, containing many granulocytes and numerous macrophages, revealed only insignificant quantities of antibody. Following the injection of various dysentery and typhoid antigen combinations into the abdominal cavity, no antibody was found in the isolated granulocytes and macrophages of the peritoneal exudate, while the supernatant fluid revealed titers that roughly paralleled those of the blood serum. Similar results were obtained when animals were injected first with antibody intravenously, and subsequently with an unspecific irritant intraperitoneally. The presence of antibody in the supernatant fluid was, therefore, interpreted as being due to secondary concentration (fixation) in an inflamed area. These findings together with the previously described observations on the lymphocyte seem to show that the macrophage does not synthesize agglutinins against dysentery or typhoid bacilli.