Abstract
Summary
The data from this study indicates that Dactinomycin affects the number and type of cells involved in granuloma formation. Neutrophils and mononuclear cells were decreased in alum and TT-primary granulomas, but no such effect was noted in TT-secondary granulomas. In contrast, the eosinophil response in all three types of granulomas appeared to be unaffected by Dactinomycin treatment. The number of plasma cells present and the serum antitoxin titers obtained in the primary response were both significantly depressed. In the TT-secondary granulomas, the rate of plasma cell formation, although initially delayed, was unaffected. It is suggested that the granuloma is a reliable index of the host's capacity to react to antigen and can serve as a model to study the effects of anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive agents on such reactions.
The authors thank Mr. Luther Lipsett for his technical assistance, Mrs. E. E. Speirs and Mrs. S. B. Paul for their help in the preparation of this manuscript, and Mr. Gordon E. Mestler for his advice on the statistical analysis of the data.
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