Failure of immunocytoadherence to demonstrate delayed hypersensitivity.

Abstract

Guinea pigs were immunized with dinitrophenylated keyhold limpet hemocyanin (DNP-KLH) in complete Freund's adjuvant. The immunized animals developed delayed skin reactivity to DNP-KLH and to the KLH carrier itself but not to dinitrophenylated human serum albumin (DNP-HSA). They produced antibody reacting with both the homologous DNP-KLH conjugate and a heterologous DNP-HSA conjugate, but no antibody to KLH was detected. Accompanying this, rosette-forming cells (RFC) for erythrocytes coated with either DNP-conjugate appeared. RFC for erythrocytes coated with KLH were not detected despite the presence of marked delayed type skin reactivity to KLH. Thus, with this antigen system the immunocytoadherence technique fails to demonstrate the cells involved in mediating the delayed hypersensitivity response, although it does demonstrate cells containing humoral antibody specificities on their surfaces.