Production of Lens Sensitivity in Rabbits by the Action of Staphylococcus Toxin

Extracts of lens 1 derived from any of the vertebrates, with the exception of rabbit lens, produce, when injected into rabbits, precipitins for all lens extracts Although a high precipitin titer can be developed neither an Arthus reaction nor an anaphylactic state can be produced in the rabbit. In a previous report 2 it was shown that Staphylococcus toxin, injected intracutaneously into rabbits, produces not only an antitoxin but also a hypersensitive state to the beef bouillon in which the toxin is produced and to beef serum. This result suggested that if such a poor antigen as beef broth could be made antigenically active, a similar antigenic effect could be developed for lens substance if this material were added to the broth. Accordingly the following experiments were undertaken.

Beef eyes, trimmed of all extraocular tissue, were dropped into boiling water for 30 seconds. With a sterile scissors a transverse corneal incision was made and the lens expressed into a tube containing 20 cc. of hormone bouillon. After a preliminary incubation period of 7 days to eliminate the contaminated tubes, the sterile tubes were inoculated with toxin-forming Staph. aureus, strain Ha. After 10 days'incubation at 37°C. the contents of the tubes were pooled, 1/2% trikresol added and filtered through a Berkefeld V filter. Injected intravenously, 0.3 cc. killed a 3000 gm. rabbit within 24 hours. This lens broth toxin precipitated with lens immune serum in dilutions as high as 1–50,000.

Rabbits were injected intracutaneously with 0.1 cc. amounts of lens broth toxin and lens extract, each in a different skin area at intervals of one week. Two rabbits were injected intravenously with 5 cc. amounts of lens extracts once a week. Other details of technique have been outlined elsewhere. 1 , 2